In commemoration of the 60th World Communications Day 2026, the Vatican issued Pope Leo XIV’s message on the theme “Preserving human voices & faces.”
Faces & voices are sacred. God, who created us in His image & likeness, gave them to us when He called us to life through the Word he addressed to us. This Word resounded down the centuries through the voices of the prophets, & then became flesh in the fullness of time. We too have heard & seen this Word (cf. 1 Jn. 1:1-3) – in which God communicates His very self to us – because it has been made known to us in the voice & face of Jesus, the Son of God.
The challenge, therefore, is not technological, but anthropological. Embracing the opportunities offered by digital technology & artificial intelligence with courage, determination & discernment does not mean turning a blind eye to critical issues, complexities & risks.
- Do not renounce your ability to think
- To be or to pretend to be: simulating relationships & reality
- A possible alliance – needs to be based on 3 pillars: responsibility, cooperation & education
We need faces & voices to speak for people again. We need to cherish the gift of communication as the deepest truth of humanity, to which all technological innovation should also be oriented.