Pope Francis, the head of the Catholic church, passed away on Easter Monday at the age of 88. The first Latin American Pope Pope Francis was known for his progressive ideals in traditionally conservative institutions and advocated social and economic justice.
In the past few weeks, Pope Francis has also shared important and forward-looking information about new technologies.
“I want us to look at the screen less and look at each other in our eyes!” Pope Francis Official video message Translated from his Spanish. “If we spend more time on our phones than with people, what’s the problem.”
The Pope’s prayer about technology was uploaded just 3 weeks before his death.
The message of Pope Francis is part of the Pope.Monthly Intent” for 2025. Each month, the Pope set a “monthly prayer intention,” where he invited people around the world to join him in prayer on a specific topic. April’s intention, the final monthly intention before his death, was focused on new technology. The intention and related reflections posted to the Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network specifically mentioned artistic intelligence, video calls, smartphones, and screen time in general.
Mixable light speed
“It’s the fact that technology is the fruit of intelligence God gives us, but we need to use it well,” Pope Francis said in his video address in April. “It can’t only benefit while excluding others.”
Pope Francis calls for the use of technology in his message “unity rather than division.” He shared that technology should be used to help the poor, the patients and people with different abilities. To keep the news that he has been environmentally friendly with his entire pope in the Pope, Pope Francis also called for the use of technology to “take care of our common family” and connect with each other.
Ironically, many social media users immediately emphasized Pope Francis’s view on technology, although this was unintentional. Once the news broke, social networking platforms exploded with the meme explosion, and many people referenced the 2024 movie in conclusion About the Cardinal in the Secret Meeting after the Pope’s Death. Others joked about how Vice President JD Vance was one of the finalists to meet Pope before his death, meeting Pope Francis on Easter Sunday.
“The screen makes us forget that there are real people behind it breathing, laughing and crying.” Pope Francis said.
In April’s prayer for new technology, the Pope shared his hope that “technology will not replace ‘human connection’ connection, i.e. virtual characters will not replace the reality, and social networks will not replace the social environment”.
He concluded: “Let us pray that the use of new technologies will not replace relationships, will respect human dignity and will help us face the crisis of the times.”
