February 23, 2026
Holy script or holy script‑bot?
Pope tells priests to use their brains, not AI, to write homilies
“If you want a soul, don’t copy‑paste it from a robot” – online fans and critics clash over AI in the pulpit
TLDR: Pope Leo XIV quietly told priests to stop leaning on AI tools for sermons and instead rely on prayer, study, and their own brains. Online, people are split between calling AI-written homilies “spiritual catfishing” and arguing that using robots for religion crosses a line that even tech-loving believers don’t want crossed.
The Pope told priests to “use your brains, not artificial intelligence” when writing homilies, and the internet immediately turned it into a Sunday drama special. While Leo XIV was mostly urging priests to pray more, know their people, and stop phoning it in, online commenters zoomed straight in on the AI line like it was a theological mic drop.
One camp is fully Team Pope. Commenters argue that if a priest is preaching words written by a chatbot, it’s basically spiritual catfishing. As one put it, if you didn’t sweat over the sermon yourself, why should anyone sit through it? Others point out that good preaching is deeply personal: you’re talking to your community, with their secrets, struggles, and inside jokes. No priest can safely dump that into an online robot without breaking trust, vows of discretion, or just basic good sense.
But there’s nuance and comedy too. One user admits their pastor now starts sermons with an “AI disclaimer” and they’re torn: AI is fine for debugging code, but do you really want your soul-searching outsourced like customer support? Another commenter jokes that even fictional sermon ghostwriters are out of a job now that AI is here. Underneath the memes, the big question is loud and clear: in an age where robots help write emails, should they be allowed to help write your path to heaven?
Key Points
- •Pope Leo XIV held a private Q&A with priests of the Diocese of Rome on Feb. 19 in the Vatican’s Paul VI Hall, following a public speech encouraging them to rekindle their ministry.
- •In addressing how to reach young people, the pope emphasized the personal witness of priests, broadening horizons, and rediscovering the value of communion.
- •He urged priests to know and love their communities through a shared effort to understand local realities and face challenges together.
- •Leo XIV advised priests to use their own intellect rather than artificial intelligence to prepare homilies and strongly called for deeper, sustained prayer beyond formal recitation.
- •The pope highlighted the importance of priestly fraternity, ongoing study, support for elderly priests, and living the priesthood with daily gratitude.