Pope warns against undermining human 'dignity' in AI, social media era

Pope Leo XIV (L) attends the mass for the Jubilee of digital missionaries and Catholic influencers celebrated by Filipino Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle at St. Peters' Basilica at the Vatican on July 29, 2025. (Photo by Alberto PIZZOLI / AFP)

Pope Leo XVI on Tuesday called on the world to protect human "dignity" online as it faces the "challenge" of AI, at the Vatican's first mass for Catholic influencers.

He was speaking as thousands of young Catholics are in Rome this week for the Vatican's Jubilee of Youth -- an event that takes place every 25 years -- and as the Catholic Church tries to promote its message online amid a fall in church attendance.