April 2025; For the Use of the New Technologies
- Pauline Books & Media
- Apr 1
- 7 min read
Pope's Intention
Lets us pray that the use of new technologies will not replace human relationships, will respect the dignity of the person, and will help us face the crises of our times.
The pace of technological development is accelerating, and some of the current technological innovations were anticipated to occur in 2030 or later. We need to manage life with these tools and be aware of the risks and issues that may arise, if they are not used appropriately. As Pope Francis said, "These changes affect everyone, not merely professionals in those fields. The rapid spread of astonishing innovations, whose workings and potential are beyond the ability of most of us to understand and appreciate, has proven both exciting and disorienting. This leads inevitably to deeper questions about the nature of human beings, our distinctiveness and the future of the species homo sapiens in the age of artificial intelligence. How can we remain fully human and guide this cultural transformation to serve a good purpose?"
Blessed Carlo Acutis serves as a wonderful role model and encourages young people to use technology positively in their lives; to share the love that Christ has for us. Carlo, the first millenial Blessed, was an Italian tech-savvy teenager, who devoted himself to the presence of Jesus in the Eucharist. He called the Holy Eucharist his "highway to heaven", and believed that the proof of Eucharistic miracles could persuade people that Jesus is present at every Mass. Carlo is to be canonized Saint Carlo this year. It is likely to take place on Sunday 27 April, during the Jubilee of Teenagers, April 25-27.
Artificial Intelligence: promise and risk,
opportunity and danger
"Progress in information technology and the development of digital technologies in recent decades have already begun to effect profound transformations in global society and its various dynamics. New digital tools are even now changing the face of communications, public administration, education, consumption, personal interactions and countless other aspects of our daily lives.
Moreover from the digital footprints spread throughout the Internet, technologies employing a variety of algorithms can extract data that enable them to control mental and relational habits for commercial or political purposes, often without our knowledge, thus limiting our conscious exercise of freedom of choice. In a space like the Web, marked by information overload, they can structure the flow of data according to criteria of selection that are not always perceived by the user."
"For the impact of any artificial intelligence device – regardless of its underlying technology – depends not only on its technical design, but also on the aims and interests of its owners and developers, and on the situations in which it will be employed."
We cannot presume a priori that its development will make a beneficial contribution to the future of humanity and to peace among peoples. That positive outcome will only be achieved if we show ourselves capable of acting responsibly and respect such fundamental human values as “inclusion, transparency, security, equity, privacy and reliability”.
"Nor is it sufficient simply to presume a commitment on the part of those who design algorithms and digital technologies to act ethically and responsibly. There is a need to strengthen or, if necessary, to establish bodies charged with examining the ethical issues arising in this field and protecting the rights of those who employ forms of artificial intelligence or are affected by them."
"Nor can we fail to consider, in this context, the impact of new technologies on the workplace. Jobs that were once the sole domain of human labour are rapidly being taken over by industrial applications of artificial intelligence. Here too, there is the substantial risk of disproportionate benefit for the few at the price of the impoverishment of many. Respect for the dignity of labourers and the importance of employment for the economic well-being of individuals, families, and societies, for job security and just wages, ought to be a high priority for the international community as these forms of technology penetrate more deeply into our workplaces."
"The immense expansion of technology thus needs to be accompanied by an appropriate formation in responsibility for its future development. Freedom and peaceful coexistence are threatened whenever human beings yield to the temptation to selfishness, self-interest, the desire for profit and the thirst for power. We thus have a duty to broaden our gaze and to direct techno-scientific research towards the pursuit of peace and the common good, in the service of the integral development of individuals and communities."
On a more positive note, if artificial intelligence were used to promote integral human development, it could introduce important innovations in agriculture, education and culture, an improved level of life for entire nations and peoples, and the growth of human fraternity and social friendship. In the end, the way we use it to include the least of our brothers and sisters, the vulnerable and those most in need, will be the true measure of our humanity."
Extracts from
POPE FRANCIS FOR THE 57th WORLD DAY OF PEACE
1 JANUARY 2024
Artificial Intelligence and Peace
Let us pray:
That the use of new technologies will not replace human relationships
"All Christian life starts from and develops through person-to-person relationships. And by now, after the initial moments of euphoria over the new technologies, we are aware that it is not enough to live “online” or “connected”. We need to see up to what point our communication, enriched by the digital sphere, effectively creates bridges and contributes to the construction of the culture of encounter."
Vatican,18 June 2022
Pope Francis
Let us pray:
That the use of new technologies will respect the dignity of the person
"The inherent dignity of each human being and the fraternity that binds us together as members of the one human family must undergird the development of new technologies and serve as indisputable criteria for evaluating them before they are employed, so that digital progress can occur with due respect for justice and contribute to the cause of peace.
Extract from
POPE FRANCIS FOR THE 57th WORLD DAY OF PEACE
1 JANUARY 2024
Artificial Intelligence and Peace
Let us pray:
That the use of new technologies will help us face the crises of our times.
"Technological developments that do not lead to an improvement in the quality of life of all humanity, but on the contrary aggravate inequalities and conflicts, can never count as true progress."
Extract from
POPE FRANCIS FOR THE 57th WORLD DAY OF PEACE
1 JANUARY 2024
Artificial Intelligence and Peace
"In Scotland at the present time there is much debate about the use of smartphones in schools and a growing concern that overdependence on them may hamper the development of our young people. This debate reflects the concern of the holy Father who warns that "information cannot be separated from living relationships." He explains that relationships involve the body and an immersion into the real world, but that they also involve human experiences, "compassion, and sharing."
Bishop Toal
President of the National Communications Commission, Scotland
to mark World Communications Day
12 May 2024
“Modern means of technology are very important and how fortunate we are to have the science that allows us to communicate in that way. But there are certain boundaries… We’ve got to be sure that we retain the ethics and the morality of good communication within our own thinking minds and not just leave it to a machine to tell us what things are and how truth is to be communicated. We must hold on to the limits of truth for ourselves.”
Bishop John Arnold
Lead Bishop for Communications
for the Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales
18 May 2023
"...the very use of the word “intelligence” in connection with AI is a misnomer, since AI is not an artificial form of human intelligence but a product of it. When used correctly, AI assists the human person in fulfilling his or her vocation, in freedom and responsibility.
As with all other human activity and technological development, AI must be ordered to the human person and become part of efforts to achieve “greater justice, more extensive fraternity and a more humane order of social relations”, which are “more valuable than advances in the technical field” (Gaudium et Spes, 35; cf. Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2293)."
Pope Francis
the Vatican, 14 January 2025
"In a world marked by AI, we need the grace of the Holy Spirit, who “enables us to look at things with God’s eyes, to see connections, situations, events and to uncover their real meaning.”
Since a “person’s perfection is measured not by the information or knowledge they possess, but by the depth of their charity,” how we incorporate AI “to include the least of our brothers and sisters, the vulnerable, and those most in need, will be the true measure of our humanity.” The “wisdom of the heart” can illuminate and guide the human-centered use of this technology to help promote the common good, care for our “common home,” advance the search for the truth, foster integral human development, favor human solidarity and fraternity, and lead humanity to its ultimate goal: happiness and full communion with God.
From this perspective of wisdom, believers will be able to act as moral agents capable of using this technology to promote an authentic vision of the human person and society. This should be done with the understanding that technological progress is part of God’s plan for creation—an activity that we are called to order toward the Paschal Mystery of Jesus Christ, in the continual search for the True and the Good."
Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith
and the Dicastery for Culture and Education
May Christian believers
followers of various religions and men and women of good will work together in harmony
to embrace the opportunities and confront the challenges posed by the digital revolution
and thus hand on to future generations
a world of greater solidarity, justice and peace.
Pope Francis,
Vatican, 8 December 2023
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