Pope Leo XIV to Priests: Homily Must Flow from the Heart, Not from an Algorithm

The Vatican has taken a firm stance against the growing wave of using language models in pastoral ministry. Pope Leo XIV, during a series of addresses and audiences, has called on priests worldwide to immediately cease writing sermons using tools like ChatGPT. According to the head of the Church, using ready-made templates generated by processors leads to a dangerous atrophy of critical thinking. The Holy Father issued a stern warning, stating that 'the brain must be used,' not replaced by algorithms from Silicon Valley. The Holy See maintains that a homily is a sacramental act, requiring living testimony of faith, which a machine is incapable of producing. The Catholic Church's relationship with modern technology has a long history; from the adoption of the printing press to the radio messages of Pius XI in 1931, the Vatican has always sought to balance innovation with the protection of the deposit of faith. The papal criticism focuses on the risk of losing authenticity and pastoral empathy. Leo XIV noted that while artificial intelligence can skillfully handle quotes from Holy Scripture, it lacks the personal experience of grace. The Pope pointed out theological errors that algorithms can 'smuggle in,' a phenomenon often referred to as hallucinations. At the same time, the Holy Father expressed particular support for older priests, whose decades of experience and traditional working methods he considers a model worthy of emulation in the age of digital chaos. The Vatican does not condemn technology itself, but its thoughtless encroachment into areas reserved for the personal relationship between man and God. 100% — personal effort required by the pope in sermons Global media note that Leo XIV is fighting for man's 'holy intellectual sphere.' Public opinion voices suggest that this ban aims to prevent the mechanization of faith and maintain the authority of the priest as a spiritual guide, not merely a curator of machine-generated content. The Pope reminds that every word spoken from the pulpit should be the fruit of prayer and study, not the result of a query sent to a server. This debate marks a new frontier in the relationship between religion and technological progress. „L'intelligenza artificiale può copiare le parole, ma non copierà mai l'anima che deve bruciare in ogni parola de verità rivolta ai fedeli.” (Artificial intelligence can copy words, but it will never copy the soul that must burn in every word of truth addressed to the faithful.) — Pope Leo XIV