AI chatbots like ChatGPT and Gemini are helping just about everyone get through their workday, be it writers, coders or researchers. And it turns out even priests have begun turning to AI for help drafting their sermons. But this growing reliance on the intelligent machine systems is now raising eyebrows in Vatican City. In a recent closed-door meeting with clergy from the Diocese of Rome, Pope Leo XIV has urged priests not to depend on AI tools, and instead use their brain to prepare their homilies. He also asked presets to avoid chasing “likes” on TikTok.
The Pope recently addressed concerns around the use of artificial intelligence and priests’ presence on social media during a question-and-answer session with Roman clergy on February 19. During the discussion, he spoke about what he described as “the temptation to prepare homilies with artificial intelligence”, as reported by the Vatican media.
Comparing sermon writing to physical exercise, he told priests that just as muscles weaken without use, the human intellect also deteriorates if it is not actively engaged.
For the unfamiliar, a sermon is a talk on a religious or moral subject, usually based on a passage from the Bible, delivered by priests during a church service. “Like all the muscles in the body, if we do not use them, if we do not move them, they die. The brain needs to be used, so our intelligence must also be exercised a little so as not to lose this capacity,” Pope Leo said, as reported by Vatican News.
The pope emphasised that priests need to rely on their own intelligence and spiritual reflection when writing sermons, rather than outsourcing that responsibility to machines.
According to Pope Leo, using AI to draft sermons, risks losing authenticity. “To give a true homily is to share faith,” he said, adding that artificial intelligence “will never be able to share faith.”
In addition, the pope also cautioned priests against equating digital engagement with genuine pastoral success. Referring specifically to social media platforms like TikTok, he described the pursuit of “likes” and “followers” as an “illusion”. He warned priests that their online popularity should not be confused with authentic spiritual impact.
The warning from the Vatican city comes at a time when AI is increasingly being seen as capable of taking over human tasks. With AI tools now being used to write everything from articles and speeches to, Pope Leo has made it clear that priests should not refer to it for the work of faith. He suggested that while machines may be able to generate words, they cannot generate faith or genuine spiritual experience.
