By Robert Duncan
Catholic News Service
ROME — Pope Leo XIV said artificial intelligence should support the church’s mission of evangelization, urging Catholic technologists and venture capitalists gathered in Rome to build systems that help spread the Gospel.
“Whether designing algorithms for Catholic education, tools for compassionate health care, or creative platforms that tell the Christian story with truth and beauty, each participant contributes to a shared mission: to place technology at the service of evangelization and the integral development of every person,” the pope wrote.
Pope Leo’s message was read aloud Nov. 7 by Jesuit Father David Nazar during the 2025 Builders AI Forum, a two-day summit for idea-sharing and collaboration held at the Pontifical Gregorian University.
Since the beginning of his pontificate, the pope has emphasized the need for ethically grounded AI, but his message to the conference marked the first time he directly linked the technology’s promise to the church’s missionary work.
Forum organizers said the stakes are high, as AI tools increasingly shape how people seek meaning online.
“There are billions of people who do not yet know Christ and the truth that Christianity fully possesses,” said Matthew Sanders, a Catholic AI developer and one of the event’s organizers. “If the church’s guiding hand is not there, this technology has the power to do unimaginable harm, amplifying confusion and despair.”
Registration materials listed roughly 200 participants, including representatives from Microsoft, Palantir Technologies and Goldman Sachs, alongside Catholic filmmakers and ministry leaders.
A recurring concern was how to help people move from digital encounters with Catholic content into lived parish life. Sanders noted that many users first encounter Catholic teaching through apps such as Hallow or Magisterium AI. Without support, he said, new believers may struggle to find a worshiping community.
“The question is how do we ‘off-ramp’ people from products like Magisterium AI and help ensure that they can find either a community or show them how the faith is lived,” Sanders said.