# The old and the new: the Catholic Church confronts artificial intelligence

Author: Fernando Nieto Lobato
Original publication: 2025-04-16
Spanish original: https://estrategiabyaleph.substack.com/p/estrategia-81-la-tradicion-interpela
English URL: https://elcontemplador.github.io/estrategia-english/essays/081/
Status: Published translation

This is a translation of the original Spanish essay published on 16 April 2025. Its claims, examples and forecasts retain that historical context.

English publication: 2026-09-29

*Archive note: published on 16 April 2025. This essay retains its Holy Week context and the author’s contemporary account of the Vatican’s position. The final quotation from Demis Hassabis is retranslated from the author’s Spanish translation; its original English wording has not been verified.*



Last January, while technology leaders were presenting their latest artificial intelligence creations at global technology fairs, the Vatican quietly published a document that few had expected. **Under the Latin title** ***[Antiqua et Nova](https://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/congregations/cfaith/documents/rc_ddf_doc_20250128_antiqua-et-nova_sp.html)***, **[the Holy See set out its official position on artificial intelligence](https://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/congregations/cfaith/documents/rc_ddf_doc_20250128_antiqua-et-nova_sp.html)**. **Since this newsletter is being sent during Holy Week, several weeks ago we set aside this Holy Wednesday to examine it** and reflect on the unexpected marriage between ancient religious wisdom and dizzying technological innovation.



[This document](https://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/congregations/cfaith/documents/rc_ddf_doc_20250128_antiqua-et-nova_sp.html), signed by the Dicasteries for the Doctrine of the Faith and for Culture and Education, is perhaps the Catholic Church’s most ambitious effort to date to engage with the ethical and social questions raised by AI. Unlike other religious institutions, which have maintained a cautious or distant stance, the Church has decided to intervene actively in the debate.



At first sight, it might seem anachronistic for a two-thousand-year-old institution to take a position in debates dominated by companies such as Google or Microsoft. Yet this move has not come out of nowhere. Back in 2020, the Vatican promoted the *Rome Call for AI Ethics*, establishing principles such as transparency, inclusion and responsibility. Now, five years later, *Antiqua et Nova* explores these issues in considerably greater depth, adding theological and ethical nuances that go beyond simple technical recommendations.



**The Vatican’s central concern is defending human dignity in the face of technology’s omnipresence.** At a time when AI can imitate human texts, images and voices with alarming accuracy, the Church warns of the risk of what it calls “algorithmic post-truth”: the loss of a shared, objective truth as a point of reference. Far from trivial, this problem strikes at the very heart of an institution that has historically defended the existence of universal, immutable truths.



But the Church does not stop at general warnings. It specifically criticises concrete AI applications such as the use of lethal autonomous weapons, a concern Pope Francis has already expressed publicly in international forums. In clear and forceful terms, the Vatican states that no decision about human life should ever be delegated to a machine.



The document also addresses AI’s economic and social impact at length, highlighting the ethical dilemma of job displacement caused by automation. The Vatican’s view is clear: if automation displaces jobs, society has a moral obligation to ensure that nobody is excluded. In a nod to contemporary debates, the text mentions, albeit only indirectly, the possibility of introducing measures such as universal basic income, [in line with earlier remarks by Pope Francis in September 2024](https://www.vidanuevadigital.com/2024/09/20/francisco-el-salario-basico-universal-es-de-estricta-justicia/?utm_source=chatgpt.com), when he suggested that guaranteeing a basic income in an age of automation is not mere charity, but social justice.



It is significant that *Antiqua et Nova* returns to traditional ethical concepts such as justice, prudence and solidarity, applying them directly to a modern technological context. The aim is not simply to prevent AI’s most obvious abuses, but to ensure that technological progress truly serves the common good, strengthening the social fabric rather than eroding it.



The Church also offers practical guidance to ensure that AI does not replace what is essentially human, particularly in areas such as education, healthcare and environmental stewardship. It recognises the potential benefits, from improving access to education to enabling more accurate medical diagnoses, or even helping to fight climate change through advanced predictive systems. Yet it warns that these advantages must always be used to complement, rather than replace, conscious and ethical human decisions.



One particularly striking point is the warning about technological idolatry. The Church cautions against the modern temptation to see AI as a substitute for God, something more dangerous than traditional idols precisely because machines can imitate human intelligence. Ultimately, the Church insists on maintaining the correct hierarchy: artificial intelligence, however powerful, must always remain a tool in the service of human beings, never the other way round.



This position is not merely theoretical. The Vatican has decided to lead by example, implementing internal regulations within its own territory that explicitly prohibit any AI application that could harm human dignity or foster inequalities. By establishing a special AI Commission, the Holy See seeks to show the world that technological advances can be integrated within robust, coherent ethical governance.



[![Table of the Vatican's guiding principles and key concerns about AI; all entries translated below.](https://elcontemplador.github.io/estrategia-english/assets/images/8f4379c6-3ab6-4610-853a-b31c33d10b57_915x1045.png)](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!X7xd!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F8f4379c6-3ab6-4610-853a-b31c33d10b57_915x1045.png)



*Translation of the original table, “Pillars of the position set out in Antiqua et Nova”. The two columns list principles and concerns; the final two cells in the principles column are empty in the original.*



| Guiding principles of the Vatican’s position | Key concerns / warnings |

| --- | --- |

| Human dignity as the supreme value | Dehumanisation: relationships, work, health |

| AI as a tool/product, not equal to a human being | Inequality and discrimination |

| Service to humanity and the common good | Job displacement / deskilling |

| Human responsibility and oversight are essential | Disinformation and erosion of truth |

| Need for an ethical framework: “algor-ethics” | Privacy violations and surveillance |

| Importance of the “wisdom of the heart” | Loss of human agency / autonomy |

| Promotion of integral human development | Risks of anthropomorphism |

| Defence of truth and trust | Lethal autonomous weapons |

| | Environmental impact |

| | Potential for idolatry |



[![Circular diagram of eight principles of the Vatican's position on AI, with explanations translated below.](https://elcontemplador.github.io/estrategia-english/assets/images/e663dfde-4127-4c17-a312-bc4fee9bd82f_1555x1600.png)](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!O1RT!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe663dfde-4127-4c17-a312-bc4fee9bd82f_1555x1600.png)



*Translation of the original diagram, “Principles of the Vatican’s position”:*



- **Human dignity:** emphasises the inherent worth of every individual.

- **AI as a tool:** recognises AI as a tool, not an equal.

- **Service to humanity:** prioritises the common good and service to others.

- **Responsibility:** stresses the essential role of human oversight in AI.

- **Ethical framework:** advocates ethics in AI development.

- **Wisdom of the heart:** promotes emotional intelligence and empathy.

- **Integral human development:** supports individuals’ holistic growth.

- **Defence of truth:** defends truth and trust in information.



The reception of *Antiqua et Nova* has been mixed. Some technology ethics experts see it as a valuable contribution to the global debate, particularly given the Church’s moral authority. Others, however, have questioned the Vatican’s real ability to influence an industry dominated by technology giants and governments with agendas of their own. Regardless of these criticisms, the Church has achieved something important: firmly placing the central ethical question surrounding AI on the table.



At its heart, this document asks fundamental questions. What kind of society do we want to build with the help of artificial intelligence? What does “progress” really mean when we are talking about machines capable of replicating and even surpassing human abilities? The Vatican’s answer is that true progress places human beings at the centre, recognising and defending their inherent dignity in the face of any technological innovation.



**In an age of rapid change, perhaps it is precisely this ancient wisdom that we most need to hear so that, even if we do not agree with everything it proposes, we can ask the right questions.** As the document’s title suggests, perhaps the meeting of the old and the new is where we can find the ethical and philosophical answers that the age of artificial intelligence so desperately demands. **This [connects](https://x.com/SmokeAwayyy/status/1910045097649177058)** [with recent remarks by last year’s Nobel laureate in Chemistry and Google’s AI leader, Demis Hassabis — translated here from our Spanish rendering](https://x.com/SmokeAwayyy/status/1910045097649177058): **“I think we need great philosophers. Where are they? The next great thinkers… the equivalents of Kant, Wittgenstein, even Aristotle. I think we are going to need them to help society navigate the next step. AGI and ASI are going to change humanity and the human condition.”**



Fernando Nieto Lobato



*Director of Digital Innovation at Institución Educativa ALEPH*