As Artificial Intelligence is changing the world, the Vatican has emerged as a powerful moral voice in the global debate. Far from rejecting technological progress, the Holy See embraces AI.
On January 28, 2025, the Vatican published a major document titled Antiqua et Nova: Note on the Relationship Between Artificial Intelligence and Human Intelligence, jointly issued by the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith and the Dicastery for Culture and Education.
The title, meaning “ancient and new”, symbolizes the Church’s attempt to bring timeless moral wisdom to one of the newest frontiers of human creativity.
In this long text, the Vatican presents what it calls a “realistic hope” for AI: a hope that technology can serve humanity, not dominate it. The document is publicly available on the Vatican’s official website and has been discussed in international media and by theologians.
Why the Vatican voice matters in the AI debate
The Vatican does not speak about artificial intelligence as a technical authority. It speaks as an institution that has spent centuries thinking about what makes human action meaningful. That difference explains why its intervention feels unusual, but also why it deserves attention.
Unlike governments or companies, the Vatican is not trying to win a race or defend an industry. Its interest lies elsewhere. Artificial intelligence raises questions about responsibility, intention and moral limits, all areas the Church has reflected on long before machines entered the picture.
Antiqua et Nova approaches AI without urgency or fascination. The document treats it as a human creation that must remain anchored to human judgement. Progress is acknowledged, but never separated from responsibility. This creates a tone that feels slower and more deliberate than most public discussions about technology.
In this sense, the Vatican is not reacting to artificial intelligence as something alien or threatening. It is responding to it as another chapter in a long conversation about power, ethics and the role of human conscience.
One of the core messages inside document is that artificial intelligence is not truly “intelligent” in the human sense. The text explicitly warns against confusing machine performance with consciousness:
“AI should not be seen as an artificial form of human intelligence, but as a product of it.”
According to the Vatican, machines operate by performing tasks and achieving goals, but lack the contemplative and moral dimension that defines human thought. This idea is echoed in another Vatican commentary:
“Artificial intelligence has no conscience; moral discernment belongs to the human person.”
(Vatican News, 2025)
This distinction is not just philosophical, it is also moral. The Church insists that responsibility must always remain with people, not with algorithms. No matter how advanced AI becomes, moral decisions must be made by human beings capable of empathy, free will, and accountability.
Far from being anti-technology, the Vatican acknowledges the immense good that AI can achieve when guided by ethical principles. The Church also envisions AI helping its own mission: translating religious texts, preserving ancient languages, and supporting pastoral care for people with disabilities or in remote areas. Under Pope Leo XIV, Vatican offices have continued to explore these positive applications, particularly in communication and humanitarian work.
Moral and ethical warnings
The Vatican’s endorsement of AI is tempered by strong moral caution. Antiqua et Nova identifies several areas of concern that require urgent attention, like for example: dehumanization, inequality and misinformation.
The document warns that over-reliance on AI could make people act like machines, very efficient but emotionally detached. It insists that no algorithm can replace compassion or spiritual awareness. Also, The Vatican has expressed deep concern that control of AI by a handful of corporations or wealthy nations could widen global inequality. The document explicitly warns that AI “risks aggravating situations of social injustice.” About the fake images and false narratives that AI can produce, urges all developers, journalists, and consumers to defend truth and protect human dignity in digital communication. Truth, it insists, is not optional.
A different kind of criticism
The document repeatedly returns to the idea of conscience. Intelligence, no matter how advanced, does not carry moral weight. A system may produce outcomes, but it cannot assume responsibility for them. That responsibility always remains human.
This distinction matters because efficiency is not a neutral value. When systems are designed to optimise decisions, there is a risk that moral reflection becomes secondary. Actions may remain correct in form while losing depth in meaning.
The warning offered by Antiqua et Nova is not dramatic. It suggests erosion. A slow shift in how people relate to decision making, care and accountability. The fear is not that machines become too human, but that humans grow accustomed to acting without full moral presence.
Beyond religion
Although rooted in Catholic teaching, Antiqua et Nova is not addressed only to believers. Its core argument applies broadly: technological progress detached from ethical reflection cannot guide itself.
In a time when artificial intelligence advances faster than shared moral frameworks, the document offers a reminder that intelligence alone is not wisdom. Systems may evolve rapidly, but responsibility cannot be automated.
Whether one approaches AI from a religious, philosophical or secular perspective, the underlying question remains the same: who remains accountable when decisions are mediated by machines?
That question does not belong to the future. It already belongs to the present.
The Vatican’s reflections on artificial intelligence offer a message that transcends religion: that technology must always serve humanity, not define it. As Antiqua et Nova concludes, innovation detached from ethics is not true progress, it is regression disguised as advancement. Future is coming.
