AI and the Real Pope Leo: Vatican News is Your Best Choice

John Wykes, OMV

May 28, 2025

 

Within a brief few days after Pope Leo XIV was elected the new Holy Father, various papal quotes popped up on social media.  Some inspirational, some challenging, some even radical, these quotes were accompanied by a picture of the new pontiff with the attribution “Pope Leo XIV”.

There was just one problem – Pope Leo never said these things.

His predecessor, Pope Francis, had to navigate these AI difficulties during the last few years of his pontificate.  Pope Leo was confronted by AI right from the start. Before the pope had a chance to remove the seal on the papal apartments, his words and images were already being manipulated by AI in bizarre and sometimes silly ways (i.e. “Baby Pope Leo”).

With social media filled with misinformation and so many news outlets presenting slanted and/or sensationalistic versions of papal events, many concerned Catholics wonder where they can get reliable information on the Holy Father and his activities.

Vatican News.

For all my papal news, I go right to the source.  Vatican News calls itself the official news portal of the Holy See.  Working in cooperation with Vatican Media, Vatican Radio, and L’Osservatore Romano (the official Vatican newspaper), Vatican News provides the very best in accurate and complete coverage of the pope and his activities.  Their website (vaticannews.va) also features the latest Church news, a sweeping overview of the Vatican and its various initiatives, and the latest in world news.  The Vatican News English YouTube Channel features complete videos of papal Masses, papal general audiences, and nice summary videos of various papal events. 

Bear in mind that Vatican News is available in multiple languages, including Italian, French, Spanish, Hebrew, Korean, Tamil, and Hindi, among many others.

The official website of the Holy See (vatican.va) is currently being redesigned but is still quite functional.  In addition to the latest addresses and messages by Pope Leo, there is also a rich archive of encyclicals, messages, letters, addresses, and speeches by the popes of the last century.  The Code of Canon Law and the Catechism of the Catholic Church can also be found here in their entirety.

Don’t rely on popular memes on social media or click-bait headlines on Yahoo News.  Instead, visit Vatican News, the Vatican News YouTube Channel, and the official website of the Holy See to get the most complete and accurate news about the pope and the Vatican. Here are some links:

Vatican News English: vaticannews.va

Vatican News English YouTube Channel: youtube.com/@VaticanNewsEN

The Holy See: vatican.va

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AI and Pope Leo: The New Revolution