Religious bodies have responded to artificial intelligence mainly with written guidance rather than bans. The Vatican's note Antiqua et nova (January 28, 2025) and Pope Leo XIV's encyclical Magnifica humanitas (dated May 15, 2026) treat AI as a human-made tool that needs ethical limits, the Rome Call for AI Ethics (2020) has been signed by leaders of many faiths, and a 2023 Southern Baptist resolution takes a similar line from an evangelical standpoint. Meanwhile, some congregations and ministries have tried AI in worship and teaching, with mixed results.
Key takeaways
- Antiqua et nova, issued by two Vatican offices and approved by Pope Francis, describes generative AI as a tool and not a person, and raises concerns about simulated empathy and about children treating teachers like chatbots.
- Magnifica humanitas, Pope Leo XIV's first encyclical, calls AI a valuable tool that requires a measured and vigilant approach, and uses the word "disarm" for freeing AI from armed competition, not for rejecting it.
- At Hiroshima on July 10, 2024, leaders of eleven world religions took part in an event where new signatories committed to the Rome Call for AI Ethics.
- Documented uses so far include a ChatGPT-generated Lutheran service in Germany in 2023 and a Catholic Answers chatbot whose priest persona was withdrawn within a day in 2024.
What the Vatican note says about AI and human intelligence
Antiqua et nova, subtitled a note on the relationship between artificial intelligence and human intelligence, was issued on January 28, 2025 by the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith and the Dicastery for Culture and Education. Pope Francis approved it at an audience on January 14, 2025. It is addressed first to those who transmit the faith, including parents, teachers, pastors, and bishops, but states that it is meant for a wider audience too.
The note distinguishes AI from human intelligence, which it describes in terms of rationality, embodiment, and relationship. In paragraph 59 it says generative AI must be understood as "a tool, not a person." Paragraph 60 raises a concern that treating AI as a person may lead children to relate to teachers as dispensers of information, and paragraph 61 states that no AI application can genuinely experience empathy. A section on AI and the relationship with God (paragraphs 104 and 105) states that presuming to substitute God with a human-made artifact is idolatry, and that AI is a pale reflection of humanity. These are statements of Catholic teaching and are reported here as such.
Magnifica humanitas: a first encyclical on AI
Pope Leo XIV signed Magnifica humanitas on May 15, 2026, and it was presented at the Vatican on May 25, 2026. Its subtitle is on safeguarding the human person in the time of artificial intelligence. The opening paragraph frames the present as a choice between building a new Tower of Babel and building a city where God and humanity dwell together.
In paragraph 100 the encyclical calls AI a valuable tool that calls for a measured and vigilant approach. It names three features of personal use that deserve care: the ease of getting results, the impression of objectivity, and the simulation of human communication, which it says can create the illusion of a relationship. Paragraph 110 explains the term "disarm": freeing AI from competition for geopolitical or commercial dominance and from monopolistic control, with the text adding that this does not mean rejecting technology.
Statements from interfaith and Protestant sources
Catholic documents are one part of the picture. The table below lists the other primary texts checked for this article.
| Text | Issuer | Date | Main stance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rome Call for AI Ethics | Pontifical Academy for Life, Microsoft, IBM, FAO, Italian Ministry of Innovation | February 28, 2020 | Six principles: transparency, inclusion, accountability, impartiality, reliability, security and privacy |
| AI Ethics for Peace, Hiroshima | Pontifical Academy for Life with Religions for Peace Japan, the Abu Dhabi Forum for Peace, and the Chief Rabbinate of Israel's interfaith commission | July 9 to 10, 2024 | Eleven world religions, sixteen new signatories; the Hiroshima Appeal urges AI to serve humanity and the planet |
| On Artificial Intelligence and Emerging Technologies | Southern Baptist Convention, annual meeting in New Orleans | June 2023 | Engage with hope rather than uncritical embrace or fearful rejection; keep human dignity central; humans bear moral responsibility |
| Antiqua et nova | Two Vatican dicasteries | January 28, 2025 | AI is a tool, not a person; ethical limits grounded in human dignity |
| Magnifica humanitas | Pope Leo XIV | May 15, 2026 | Valuable tool requiring vigilance; governance and transparency; disarm competition |
The Southern Baptist resolution also refers to the 2019 evangelical statement of principles on AI produced by the denomination's Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission. No comparable primary texts from other traditions were opened for this article beyond their participation in the Rome Call signing, so readers looking for a specific tradition's position should consult that tradition's own authorities.
AI in worship, teaching, and outreach
Experiments have ranged from a single event to a continuing app. On June 9, 2023, an experimental Lutheran service at St. Paul's Church in Fuerth, Germany, held during the German Protestant church convention, was almost entirely generated by ChatGPT. The Associated Press reported more than 300 attendees and a 40-minute program with a sermon, prayers, and music, and quoted its creator, theologian Jonas Simmerlein of the University of Vienna, as saying that about 98% came from the machine.
In April 2024, Catholic Answers launched an AI chatbot called Father Justin to answer questions about Catholicism. After online criticism of some of its answers and of the priest persona, the organization's president said on April 24 that the character would become a layperson named Justin. The launch announcement had stated that the app was not a substitute for human interaction with a priest, teacher, or spiritual advisor.
Ethical concerns that recur across the texts
Several themes appear in more than one source. Human dignity is the stated starting point of the Vatican documents and the Baptist resolution alike. Responsibility is another: the Rome Call asks that someone always answer for what a machine does, and the Baptist text places moral responsibility on humans. Simulated care and empathy draw explicit comment in both Vatican texts. The approaches to remedies differ, from design principles and corporate commitments in the Rome Call to calls for legal frameworks and independent oversight in the encyclical.
FAQ
Does the Catholic Church oppose artificial intelligence?
The texts reviewed do not call for rejecting AI. Antiqua et nova encourages scientific and technological advancement while setting ethical guidelines, and Magnifica humanitas describes AI as a valuable tool that requires vigilance. Both raise specific concerns, including simulated empathy and concentration of power.
What is the Rome Call for AI Ethics?
It is a document first signed on February 28, 2020 by the Pontifical Academy for Life, Microsoft, IBM, FAO, and the Italian Ministry of Innovation. It lists three impact areas (ethics, education, and rights) and six principles. Religious leaders from several traditions signed it in Hiroshima in July 2024.
Has AI been used to lead a worship service?
Yes, in at least one documented case. A Lutheran service in Fuerth, Germany, on June 9, 2023 used ChatGPT to generate the sermon, prayers, and music, and drew more than 300 people according to the Associated Press.
Do other religions have official positions on AI?
Leaders of Buddhism, Hinduism, Zoroastrianism, the Bahá'í Faith, and the Abrahamic religions took part in the 2024 Hiroshima signing, according to the Vatican press office. Individual traditions publish their own guidance, and this article does not speak for them.
Related reading
- Wider social implications of AI
- AI and human creativity
- How AI differs from data science
- AI image generation tools
More in AI Basics.
Last verified: October 2026
Sources
- Antiqua et nova: Note on the Relationship Between Artificial Intelligence and Human Intelligence, Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith and Dicastery for Culture and Education (2025)
- Magnifica humanitas, Encyclical Letter of Pope Leo XIV, The Holy See (2026)
- Pope Leo XIV's first encyclical Magnifica humanitas to be published May 25, Vatican News (2026)
- The Call, Rome Call for AI Ethics, RenAIssance Foundation (2020)
- AI Ethics for Peace: World Religions commit to the Rome Call, Holy See Press Office (2024)
- On Artificial Intelligence and Emerging Technologies, Southern Baptist Convention resolution (2023)
- Can a chatbot preach a good sermon? Hundreds attend experimental Lutheran church service, Associated Press (2023)
- Catholic Answers' AI priest laicized after backlash, OSV News via America Magazine (2024)