Human dignity must be protected from rise of AI, Pope says
During Tuesday's speech, the Pope called on the world to protect "our ability to listen and speak" in a "new era"."We have a duty to work together to develop a way of thinking, to develop a language, of our time, that gives voice to love," the Pope said.He also urged social media influencers to seek out "those who suffer and need to know the Lord" with their content."Be agents of communion, capable of breaking down the logic of division and polarisation, of individualism and egocentrism," he added.
During first Sunday address in May, Pope Leo XIV suggested that the development of AI, and other advances, meant the Church was necessary for the defence of human dignity and justice.Pope Leo XIV, who studied maths at Philadelphia's Villanova University in 1977, is the first pontiff from the United States.Born in Chicago in 1955 to parents of Spanish and Franco-Italian descent, Leo served as an altar boy and was ordained in 1982.Although he moved to Peru three years later, he returned regularly to the US to serve as a priest and a prior in his home city.He has Peruvian nationality and is fondly remembered as a figure who worked with marginalised communities and helped build bridges.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mail
6 hours ago
- Daily Mail
The REAL Hunting Wives of Texas: Inside the East Texas town that inspired the Netflix hit show
They shoot skeet, they go to church every Sunday, and they vote Republican in every election. But underneath their typical Southern Christian façade lies something much deeper and darker, including scandal, cheating and even murder.
The Independent
9 hours ago
- The Independent
A half-million young Catholics invade Rome, awaiting Pope Leo XIV at Holy Year youth festival
Hundreds of thousands of young Catholics poured into a vast field on Rome's outskirts Saturday for the weekend highlight of the Vatican's 2025 Holy Year: an evening vigil, outdoor slumber party and morning Mass celebrated by Pope Leo XIV that marks his first big encounter with the next generation of Catholics. Leo will surely like what he sees: For the past week, bands of young Catholics from around the world have invaded the area around St. Peter's Square for their special Jubilee celebration, in this Holy Year in which 32 million people are expected to descend on Rome to participate in a centuries-old pilgrimage to the seat of Catholicism. The young people have been traipsing through cobblestoned streets in color-coordinated t-shirts, praying the Rosary and singing hymns with guitars, bongo drums and tambourines shimmying alongside. Using their flags as tarps to shield them from the sun, they have taken over entire piazzas for Christian rock concerts and inspirational talks, and stood for hours at the Circus Maximus to confess their sins to 1,000 priests offering the sacrament in a dozen different languages. On Saturday, they began arriving at the Tor Vergata field on the eastern flank of Rome for the culmination of their Jubilee celebration — the encounter with Leo. After walking five kilometers (three miles) from the nearest subway station, they passed through security checks, picked up their boxed meals and set up camp, backpacks and sleeping bags at the ready and umbrellas planted to give them shade. Leo, who was elected in May as the first American pope, was flying in by helicopter Saturday evening to preside over the vigil and a question-and-answer session. He was then returning to the Vatican for the night and coming back for a popemobile romp and Mass on Sunday morning. A mini World Youth Day, 25 years later It all has the vibe of a World Youth Day, the Catholic Woodstock festival that St. John Paul II inaugurated and made famous in 2000 in Rome at the very same Tor Vergata field. Then, before an estimated 2 million people, John Paul told the young pilgrims they were the 'sentinels of the morning' at the dawn of the third millennium. Officials had initially expected 500,000 youngsters this weekend, but Leo hinted the number might reach 1 million. 'It's a bit messed up, but this is what is nice about the Jubilee,' said Chloe Jobbour, a 19-year-old Lebanese Catholic who was in Rome with a group of more than 200 young members of the Community of the Beatitudes, a France-based charismatic group. She said, for example, it had taken two hours to get dinner Friday night, as the KFC was overwhelmed by orders. The Salesian school that offered her group housing is an hour away by bus. But Jobbour, like many here this week, didn't mind the discomfort: It's all part of the experience. 'I don't expect it to be better than that. I expected it this way,' she said, as members of her group gathered on church steps near the Vatican to sing and pray before heading out to Tor Vergata. There was already one tragedy before the vigil began: The Vatican confirmed that an Egyptian 18-year-old, identified as Pascale Rafic, had died while on the pilgrimage. Leo met Saturday with the group she was traveling with and extended his condolences to her family. The weather has largely cooperated: While Italian civil protection crews had prepared for temperatures that could have reached 34C (93F) or higher this week, the mercury hasn't surpassed 30C (85F) and isn't expected to. Romans inconvenienced, but tolerant Those Romans who didn't flee the onslaught have been inconvenienced by the additional hordes on the city's notoriously insufficient public transport system. Residents are sharing social media posts of outbursts by Romans angered by kids flooding subway platforms and crowding bus stops that have complicated their commutes to work. But other Romans have welcomed the enthusiasm the youngsters have brought. Premier Giorgia Meloni offered a video welcome, marveling at the 'extraordinary festival of faith, joy and hope' that the young people had brought to the Eternal City. 'I think it's marvelous,' said Rome hairdresser Rina Verdone, who lives near the Tor Vergata field and woke up Saturday to find a gaggle of police congregating outside her home as part of the massive, 4,000-strong operation mounted to keep the peace. 'You think the faith, the religion is in difficulty, but this is proof that it's not so.' Verdone had already made plans to take an alternate route home Saturday afternoon, that would require an extra kilometer (half-mile) walk, because she feared the 'invasion' of kids in her neighborhood would disrupt her usual bus route. But she said she was more than happy to make the sacrifice. 'You think of invasion as something negative. But this is a positive invasion,' she said. ___ Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP's collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.
Glasgow Times
14 hours ago
- Glasgow Times
Plan to fly old burgh coat of arms in Johnstone 'not possible'
Provost Lorraine Cameron has confirmed the local authority encountered a 'problem' that effectively means it does not have the power to display that particular emblem at this time. The council had intended to fly the burgh flag in the town's Houstoun Square but could now fly the flag of Johnstone Burgh Football Club instead following their Scottish Junior Cup win in June. There are no such issues in the case of Renfrew, however, because the community council petitioned to matriculate its arms to the group in 1987. In an update to councillors, Provost Cameron explained: 'Unfortunately, we have uncovered a problem in respect of Johnstone. 'Following the council meeting, [the head of corporate governance] contacted the Lord Lyon's office to confirm what was the correct coat of arms for Johnstone Burgh and to confirm who had permission to fly it. 'The response received from the Lord Lyon's office was that under the Local Government (Scotland) Act, the status of 'Burgh' was abolished in 1975. 'They have stated that this makes the 1955 Grant of Arms to the Burgh of Johnstone redundant and therefore they may not be displayed. 'Unlike Renfrew, there has never been any such petition in Johnstone, so currently no one has the right to fly a flag bearing that coat of arms. 'Were the council to do so, the Lord Lyon has criminal enforcement powers. 'Accordingly, we will not be able to fly the old burgh coat of arms in Johnstone as envisaged in the council decision, unless a local group, like the community council, petitions the Lord Lyon. 'I have asked what this would involve and have been told that even if there is an organisation that could petition to matriculate the Johnstone coat of arms it could take 30 to 36 months to complete the process. 'So, in the absence of the power to fly the burgh flag in Johnstone, I am proposing, in honour of their recent success, that we fly the flag of Johnstone Burgh Football Club until April 2026 when the Renfrewshire Council flag will be raised in respect of the anniversary of the council. 'If a local Johnstone group decides to petition the Lord Lyon for matriculation of the flag, the council can revisit the issue if they are successful.' Councillor Andy Doig, an independent representative for the village, said he was 'hopeful' one of the community groups would pick up the mantle and petition the Lord Lyon for approval. 'That would be great if they wanted to do that,' he added. 'But I feel that it sticks in my throat that we're hidebound by these sort of medieval rules. 'I agree with the provost's suggestion, however, and I think it's wise under the circumstances. 'Johnstone Burgh Football Club did so well and everyone wants to recognise that.'
