Pope Leo XIV Tells Catholic Influencers – Click Less, Connect More as Faith Goes Digital
In the glow of phone screens and the buzz of livestreams, Pope Leo XIV stepped into
St. Peter’s Basilica to a reception fit for a rock star. But his message to the throng of
Catholic content creators was pointed and clear – beware the seductive power of clicks,
algorithms, and artificial intelligence.
Addressing hundreds of self-proclaimed “digital missionaries” during a landmark
gathering as part of the Vatican’s Jubilee for young people, the 68-year-old pontiff, who
made history as the first American pope, thanked attendees for their creativity in using
platforms like TikTok and Instagram to spread the Gospel. Still, he urged them not to
mistake digital reach for real human connection.
“It’s not about going viral,” the Pope said in a trilingual address delivered in Italian,
Spanish, and English. “It is about heart-to-heart encounters. Real presence. Real love.”
The gathering, dubbed a mini World Youth Day, drew teenagers, influencers, clergy, and
app developers from around the globe. Many made pilgrimage-style treks through
Rome’s Holy Door, singing hymns and waving national flags, echoing the youthful fervor
of Catholic Woodstock-like events seen in years past.
The pope’s warning comes as the Vatican attempts to balance its modern media
engagement with doctrinal consistency and ethical caution, especially as artificial
intelligence begins to reshape how religious content is created, distributed, and
consumed.
Leo XIV has signaled that confronting AI’s moral implications will define his papacy.
“This culture must remain human,” he said, urging Catholic influencers to resist the
polarizing logic of algorithms and cultivate instead “networks of friendship, networks of
love… the network of God.”
That tension between technological possibility and spiritual fidelity, was a recurring
theme throughout the week. At a July 29 Mass, Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, head of the
Vatican’s evangelization office, warned against influencers turning platforms into profit
machines or engaging in manipulative content. “Be discerning,” he said, revealing that a
deepfake once used his likeness to promote arthritis medication.
Even workshops paused every 10 minutes to encourage face-to-face conversations, a
deliberate disruption of the scroll-and-like rhythm that dominates daily life.
But beyond the warnings, there was also palpable joy. The now-legendary Father
Guilherme Peixoto, the DJ-priest from Portugal who rocked Lisbon’s World Youth Day,
was spotted in Rome, although it’s unconfirmed whether his decks will return.
Across social platforms, the Jubilee’s unofficial hashtag—#todostodostodos (everyone,
everyone, everyone)—continues to trend, reflecting the inclusive spirit Pope Francis
championed and now carried forward by his successor.
For Pablo Licheri, founder of the Catholic Mass Times app, the message hit home.
“Meeting others who share the mission, praying together, and hearing the Pope’s call to
real communion, it’s recharged my faith,” he said.
Faith, after all, may be going digital. But the soul, Pope Leo reminds us, is always
analog.
Photo – Pope Leo XIV