“We have an urgent duty to remain profoundly human.”
Leo XIV, Magnifica Humanitas

A child arrives at catechism class with all the answers. He already knows who Jesus was. He can explain what the Eucharist is. He even knows the commandments and the works of mercy. He didn’t learn it from a book or ask his parents or catechists. He consulted an Artificial Intelligence.

The scene, which seemed impossible a few years ago, is now part of our everyday reality.

Artificial intelligence is transforming how we learn, work, communicate, and access knowledge. It is also changing how children and young people approach religious information.

In this new scenario, the recent encyclical  Magnifica Humanitas  by Pope Leo XIV offers a reflection that deeply challenges those of us who have the mission of transmitting the faith.

Because the question isn’t whether or not we should use Artificial Intelligence. The question is much deeper: how do we proclaim Jesus Christ in a culture where information is available in seconds, but where human encounters seem increasingly rare?

Faith is not information

For centuries, much of catechesis faced the challenge of transmitting content that was not readily available. Today, the exact opposite is true.

A child can ask an AI who Saint Francis of Assisi was, what the Trinity means, or why we celebrate Easter. They will get a quick, organized, and often correct answer.

However, the Christian faith never consisted solely of acquiring knowledge.

Faith is not information.

Faith is encounter.

No one becomes a disciple simply by reading a perfect definition of Jesus. We become disciples when we discover that Christ comes to meet us and transforms our lives.

Therefore, Artificial Intelligence can help search for information, organize content, or prepare materials. But it cannot replace what constitutes the heart of catechesis: the experience of encountering God and our brothers and sisters.

What no artificial intelligence can do

Leo XIV insists that the great challenge of our time is to keep the human person at the center.

Technology can answer questions.

But he cannot hear the pain of a child whose parents are separating.

Can you explain what forgiveness means?

But he cannot accompany someone who needs to reconcile.

Can you describe what the sentence is?

But he cannot pray next to someone.

You can talk about community.

But it cannot build fraternity.

Therein lies the irreplaceable mission of the catechist.

In an age where data abounds, the catechist is called to transmit wisdom.

In a fast-paced culture, we must teach patience.

In a hyper-connected world, let’s create genuine encounters.

In a society where many young people seek recognition, let us remember that every person has infinite dignity because they are loved by God.

Catechesis of Babel or catechesis of Jerusalem

One of the most suggestive contributions of  Magnifica Humanitas  is the image of Babel and Jerusalem.

Babel represents a humanity fascinated by its own power, convinced that it can build everything by itself.

Jerusalem represents a community that recognizes its limitations, works together, and puts God at the center.

This image also challenges catechesis.

We can build a catechesis of Babel, obsessed with transmitting content, accumulating activities, or incorporating technologies without asking ourselves why.

Or we can build a catechesis of Jerusalem, where every tool is at the service of encounter, community, and spiritual growth.

The question is not how much technology we use.

The real question is whether or not it helps children and young people to encounter Christ.

The challenge of the encounter

Perhaps the most valuable contribution that catechesis can offer in this time is precisely what the digital world cannot guarantee: the encounter.

Encounter with God.

Meeting with other children and young people.

Meeting with a community that knows them by name.

Meeting with adults who listen to them, support them, and believe in them.

Encounter with a Church that does not see them as users or consumers, but as beloved children of God.

When a catechist receives a child, listens to their questions, shares a prayer, or accompanies a family through a difficult time, they are doing something that no artificial intelligence can replace.

Safeguarding humanity

Leo XIV’s encyclical does not encourage us to be afraid of technology.

It calls for something much more important: safeguarding humanity.

For those of us who serve in catechesis, this means remembering that our mission is not only to teach religious content.

We are called to form people.

To help children and young people discover that they are loved.

To teach them to listen, to dialogue, to share and to serve.

To show them that faith is lived in community.

And to accompany them so that they may discover that Jesus Christ is not an answer stored in a database, but a living Person who comes to meet us.

Artificial intelligence will continue to evolve. It will likely become part of the daily lives of future generations in ways we can only begin to imagine.

But as long as there are catechists capable of listening, accompanying, embracing, praying and walking alongside children and young people, there will continue to be something that no technology can replace.

The transformative power of an authentic encounter with Christ.

About the author

Ana Tina Colussi  is a journalist and holds a diploma in Church Communication. As Catechesis Coordinator for the Parish of San José Obrero (Diocese of San Martín, Argentina), she develops pastoral training and reflection content through her blog,  La Otra Mirada (The Other Perspective ).