Pope Leo XIV is calling on Catholic journalists and communicators to recommit themselves to truth, human connection, and the voices of the marginalized as artificial intelligence rapidly reshapes global communications.
In a message delivered on his behalf by Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Vatican secretary of state, the Pope addressed members of the Fédération des Médias Catholiques ahead of their annual Saint Francis de Sales gathering in Lourdes, held January 21–23. According to EWTN News, the Holy Father framed the moment as a decisive test for Catholic media’s mission in a fragmented world increasingly shaped by technology.
“To face this era marked — including in the world of communications — by the rise of artificial intelligence, we urgently need to return to what matters most: matters of the heart, the centrality of good relationships, and the ability to connect with others without excluding anyone,” the Pope said, according to Vatican News. He added that this challenge is answered by “the service to truth that Catholic media can offer everyone, including those who do not believe.”
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Pope Leo urged Catholic communicators to resist the culture of polarization by becoming what he described as “sowers of good words” and “amplifiers of voices that courageously seek reconciliation,” helping to “disarm hearts of hatred and fanaticism” in a divided world, according to Vatican News.
A central focus of the message was the responsibility of Catholic media to listen attentively to those who are often ignored. The Pope encouraged journalists to act as “antennae,” receiving and transmitting “the experiences of the vulnerable, the marginalized, those who are alone — and those who need to discover the joy of feeling loved,” according to EWTN News.
The Pope also pointed to the witness of Father Jacques Hamel, the French priest murdered while celebrating Mass in 2016, as a model for Catholic communicators. Noting that the federation has established an award in Hamel’s honor, Pope Leo wrote that the priest “was a witness to the faith, even to the point of death,” and deeply believed in dialogue and “patient, mutual listening,” according to Vatican News.
Father Hamel, the Pope said, was convinced “that it is urgent to know how to be close to others, without exception,” a conviction that remains essential for Catholic media today.
Concluding his message, Pope Leo called Catholic journalists to reject destructive rhetoric and instead embrace communication that heals. “We need words that heal the wounds of life,” he said, urging communicators to say “no to the war of words and images,” according to Vatican News.
As artificial intelligence continues to influence how stories are told and consumed, the Pope’s message situates Catholic media not as passive observers of technological change, but as moral witnesses charged with preserving truth, dignity, and authentic human encounter in the digital age.
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Pope Leo urged Catholic communicators to resist the culture of polarization by becoming what he described as “sowers of good words” and “amplifiers of voices that courageously seek reconciliation,” helping to “disarm hearts of hatred and fanaticism” in a divided world, according to Vatican News.
A central focus of the message was the responsibility of Catholic media to listen attentively to those who are often ignored. The Pope encouraged journalists to act as “antennae,” receiving and transmitting “the experiences of the vulnerable, the marginalized, those who are alone — and those who need to discover the joy of feeling loved,” according to EWTN News.
The Pope also pointed to the witness of Father Jacques Hamel, the French priest murdered while celebrating Mass in 2016, as a model for Catholic communicators. Noting that the federation has established an award in Hamel’s honor, Pope Leo wrote that the priest “was a witness to the faith, even to the point of death,” and deeply believed in dialogue and “patient, mutual listening,” according to Vatican News.
Father Hamel, the Pope said, was convinced “that it is urgent to know how to be close to others, without exception,” a conviction that remains essential for Catholic media today.
Concluding his message, Pope Leo called Catholic journalists to reject destructive rhetoric and instead embrace communication that heals. “We need words that heal the wounds of life,” he said, urging communicators to say “no to the war of words and images,” according to Vatican News.
As artificial intelligence continues to influence how stories are told and consumed, the Pope’s message situates Catholic media not as passive observers of technological change, but as moral witnesses charged with preserving truth, dignity, and authentic human encounter in the digital age.
