AI cannot substitute for personal closeness, Pope reminds Latin American physicians
October 03, 2025
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CWN Editor's Note: Pope Leo XIV received members of the Confederación Médica Latino-iberoamericana y del Caribe [Latin American and Caribbean Medical Confederation] yesterday and spoke about the importance of the doctor-patient relationship.
Christ’s healing of a leper was “not a mechanical gesture; a personal relationship is established between the leper and Jesus,” Pope Leo said during the audience, which took place in Consistory Hall of the Apostolic Palace. Citing the example of Blessed José Gregorio Hernández, the Pope said that “likewise, there are many figures of doctors who have devoted their lives to their patients.”
AI “can and should be a great help in improving clinical care, but nothing can take the place of the doctor,” Pope Leo added. But “the algorithm cannot substitute a gesture of closeness or a word of consolation.”
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