Pope Leo XIV has implored the clergy of the Diocese of Rome not to use artificial intelligence when crafting their sermons.
The Vatican News reports that on Feb. 19, the Pope conducted a closed-door meeting, in which he told the clergy to resist the “temptation to prepare homilies with artificial intelligence.”
“Like all the muscles in the body, if we do not use them, if we do not move them, they die,” the Pope reportedly said. “The brain needs to be used, so our intelligence must also be exercised a little so as not to lose this capacity.”
“To give a true homily is to share faith,” and AI “will never be able to share faith,” the Pope added.
He also warned the clergy not to conflate social media with real life, calling platforms like TikTok, where one seeks likes and follows, “an illusion.”
“It is not you: if we are not transmitting the message of Jesus Christ, perhaps we are mistaken, and we must reflect very carefully and humbly about who we are and what we are doing,” the Pope explained.
He emphasized that a priest’s life equates to “a life of prayer,” which means “time spent with the Lord,” not “the routine of reciting the breviary as quickly as possible.”
While the Pope urged priests not to use AI, according to Futurism, the Vatican is rolling out its own AI translation system capable of translating liturgical texts into up to 60 languages.
