Pope fields questions from Roman priests, urges them to avoid AI in preparing homilies

February 21, 2026

Pope Leo XIV fielded questions from four priests of the Diocese of Rome during his February 19 meeting with them in Paul VI Audience Hall. In addressing one of the questions, he urged priests to avoid AI in preparing homilies.

After listening to remarks from Cardinal Baldassare Reina, his vicar general, and delivering his own address to the priests, Pope Leo answered the following questions:

• “What would you advise to us young priests in order to embody the Gospel in today’s world, in particular in the midst of our young people, presenting ourselves to them as credible adults, without however turning evangelization into entertainment and discernment into amusement?”
• “How can we be effective in this postmodern culture in which we all live and breathe, without returning to patterns of the past that would be somewhat anachronistic? What should be the priority in our pastoral ministry in order to respond evangelically to the challenges of our time? To put it another way, the Gospel has always been inculturated, but today we are probably facing a new inculturation. How can we ensure that this inculturation is encouraged and accompanied, and not hindered, by our initiatives?”
• A question about how to address clerical gossip and jealousy
• “What do you suggest to those of us who are alone and sick, and who now offer their fragility and their limitations, together with the Eucharistic Bread, to Jesus the victim? But I also ask you this, Your Holiness: how can we, as elderly priests in our presbyteries, help younger priests to remain spiritually young, enthusiastic in proclaiming the Word, passionate in building the Church, the bride of Christ?”

Evangelization of the young: friendship with Christ

Addressing the first question, Pope Leo said that young people “often come from families that have experienced serious crises, the absence of a father, divorced or remarried parents, many who have also experienced abandonment.”

“The young priest can offer young people a model of life, that being a friend of Jesus can truly fill their lives,” the Pope continued. “But this means that the priest himself, whether young or not so young, lives a life of friendship with Jesus, in order to offer these young people not only an example but an experience of life that could change the lives of young people.”

The Pontiff also encouraged priests, to plan activities—such as sports, art, and cultural activities—to draw non-Catholic youth to the parish, where they can experience friendship. “Therefore, perhaps with the young people themselves, we need to organize, think, and seek initiatives that can offer a way out.”

Ministry in the contemporary world: avoid AI in preparing homilies

Addressing the question about ministry in the contemporary world, Pope Leo said that priests, with their parish councils, should “really see what the challenges are at this moment in this place, in this parish.”

The Pontiff also spoke about the importance of an authentic life of prayer and urged priests to avoid AI in preparing homilies:

I invite you to resist the temptation to prepare homilies with artificial intelligence! Just as all the muscles in the body die if we do not use them, if we do not move them, the brain needs to be used, so our intelligence, your intelligence, needs to be exercised a little so as not to lose this ability. But it takes much more than that, because to give a true homily, which is to share the faith, AI will never be able to share the faith! This is the most important part: if we can offer a service that is, let’s say inculturated, in the place, in the parish where we are working, people want to see your faith, your experience of having known and loved Jesus Christ and his Gospel. And this is something we must cultivate continuously.

Clerical envy: reach out to brother priests

Addressing the question about gossip and jealousy in the priesthood, Pope Leo said, “We are all human, we have feelings, emotions, many things, but as priests—and I hope already from the seminary—we can give models of life, where priests can truly be friends, brothers, and not enemies or indifferent to one another. And I don’t know which is worse: being an enemy or being indifferent to another, there is something to consider in both.”

The Pope also recounted anecdotes of priestly fraternity in Chicago, including a monthly gathering of seminary classmates for prayer and study that lasted a lifetime, and encouraged priests to take the first step in reaching out in friendship to fellow priests.

The suffering of old age: cultivate gratitude and humility, not bitterness

In addressing the final question about elderly and infirm priests, Pope Leo emphasized the importance of cultivating a spirit of gratitude and humility throughout life.

“There are people—let us say this frankly—who, even as young people, go through life with a certain bitterness, having never known the experience of friendship, fraternity or communion,” Pope Leo said. “And so, even as young people, or from middle age onwards, they live with this bitterness, never happy with anything and always with this somewhat negative spirit.”

The Pope continued:

You know very well that in many countries—in Europe, in Italy… In Canada it is already legal—euthanasia is discussed in many places: the question of the end of life, people who no longer have a sense of purpose in life and are there with the cross of an illness and say: “I don’t want to carry this anymore, I would prefer to take my own life”. If we are so negative about our life, and at times with less suffering than many people endure, how can we say to them: “No, you cannot take your own life, you must accept...”? But then we behave in this way, very negative about everything. That is, we must be the first witnesses to the fact that life has great value. And gratitude throughout life is very important.

Humility too. Humility: the attitude of wanting to recognize that it is not me, it is the Lord who gave me life, it is the Lord who accompanies me and carries me in his arms, even in those moments when I am weakest. The Lord is there with us. And living with this spirit gives life, hope.

The Pope also called upon priests to visit the sick of the parish and distribute Holy Communion to them, as well as to seek out a confessor. He added:

Often a good confessor, who may be a priest, a person of great spiritual wisdom, can accompany you and help you in times of great difficulty. We are all human, we all go through difficult times, pain of all kinds, but having someone we trust who can truly accompany us very closely, in our hearts, in our spirits, is also a great gift that we can recognize as a help in our lives. And some, I hope that many of you have this gift—not everyone has it—that you also have the gift of knowing how to accompany others when they are experiencing this kind of difficulty. So, it is not just a period of old age, it is a whole lifetime that we must live in this journey together, walking with Jesus and growing in this spirit of faith, hope and authentic charity.

 

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Further information:

• Audience with the Clergy of the Diocese of Rome, 19.02.2026: Dialogue between the Holy Father and the priests of Rome (Holy See Press Office, 2/19/26)
• Cardinal Reina alludes to ‘growing difficulties’ for Rome’s priests (CWN, 2/20/26)
• Rekindle the fire within you, Pope tells Rome’s priests (CWN, 2/20/26)