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"Preserving Human Voices and Faces": Pope Leo XIV Calls for a Deeply Human Approach to Communication

The Vatican has announced the theme of the 60th World Day of Social Communications, to be celebrated on Sunday, 17 May 2026: "Preserving Human Voices and Faces."

In a media landscape shaped by the rapid expansion of artificial intelligence and digital technologies, Pope Leo XIV is inviting believers, communicators and society at large to reflect on the place of the human person within contemporary media ecosystems.

In his message, the Holy Father turns his attention to the challenges posed by artificial intelligence, acknowledging that current technologies open remarkable new possibilities, while also carrying significant risks when they begin to replace human relationship, critical thought or moral responsibility.

The Pope draws particular attention to the dangers of disinformation, content manipulation, deepfakes, and the artificial simulation of human voices and faces. He also cautions against an excessive dependence on AI systems that could gradually weaken creativity, personal reflection and the capacity to truly listen.

"The challenge is not technological, but anthropological," he writes, recalling that to protect human voices and faces is to protect the very dignity of the person.

In response to these challenges, the message calls for the development of a genuine culture of digital discernment. The Vatican underlines the importance of integrating media literacy, information literacy and AI literacy into educational settings, with particular attention to helping young people develop critical thinking.

Pope Leo XIV also encourages a responsible use of technology, one in which artificial intelligence remains a tool at the service of encounter, truth and the common good, rather than a substitute for human relationship.

Since the beginning of his pontificate, Pope Leo XIV has shown a sustained attentiveness to questions surrounding new technologies and artificial intelligence. He has emphasized that the Church is called to accompany this new technological revolution in the light of human dignity, social justice and respect for the person.

World Communications Day will be celebrated on Sunday, May 17, 2026, the Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord.


Further Reading


Joanne Dorcé
Content Manager and Assistant Director,
Communications Department
Archdiocese of Montreal