Pope Francis, who passed away on April 21, 2025, at 88, leaves a perceptive legacy of advocating for ethical harmony between technological progress and human values. Warning against AI’s dehumanizing advancements, impelling a thoughtful Christianity and technology engagement.
The Bishop of Rome’s 2023 encyclical “Technologia in Servitium Humanitatis” (Technology in Service of Humanity) framed how the world saw AI. And the Church saw it as a tool that needs moral guardrails, insisting that “algorithms must never override compassion.”
Throughout his papacy, Prope Francis pleaded for “tech for good,” critiquing systems exploiting the weak or eroding community bonds. The Vatican’s 2024 AI ethics pact with Microsoft and IBM echoed Pope Francis’ vision on Christianity and technological advance.
Pope Francis on False Gods of Science and Technology
In 2023, Pope Francis addressed the workshop “Converging on the Person: Emerging Technologies for the Common Good,” warning of the technology’s dangers of becoming an idol.
The Pope’s collided with a broader vision of Christianity and technology, warning against the worship of technology as a gradual dehumanization of society.
“In the network of relationships, both subjective and community, technology cannot replace human contact, the virtual cannot replace the real and neither can social media replace the social sphere” Pope Francis said.
The Holy Pontiff’s views on technology reflect the stance of the Catholic Church on AI development. A reminder that technology must always serve humanity, not surpass it.
Pope Francis’s position of AI and the Church also warned against development that could break the social and personal bonds holding society together.
Balanced Future Call
Pope Francis quotes on technology stress the need for balance between innovation and humanity. Highlighting that “scientific and technological growth is increasingly reconciled with a parallel development of the human being.”
Moreover, Christianity and technology need to represent the vision of Pope Francis on technology. Providing a model for advancement to continue as a positive influence instead of tarnishing generations ethics. Pope Francis’ stance is pushing everyone to see the broader ethical effects of technological growth.
“In the network of relationships, both subjective and community, technology cannot replace human contact, the virtual cannot replace the real and neither can social media replace the social sphere,” Pope Francis said in a speech to the Pontifical Academy for Life.
Final Thoughts
As Pope Francis condemns technology for being increasingly integrated in daily life in an unhealthy way. A question arises: can technology truly make our lives better without undermining the values that make us human?
Though innovations promise benefits and solutions to global problems, there remains a high risk that they may alter the nature of human relationship and how it will exist. Therefore, without caution, we may soon find ourselves.
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