Portuguese bishops urge clergy to master AI without losing faiths human touch

Portuguese bishops say AI forces Catholic Church to adapt

Lisbon, 18 June 2026 — Portugal’s Catholic bishops have declared that artificial intelligence is compelling the Church to rethink pastoral work, urging clergy to master digital tools without surrendering to the “logic of metrics.”

In a statement published on Tuesday, the Portuguese Episcopal Conference said the rapid advance of AI requires the formation of “pastoral agents capable of using digital tools without being dominated by the logic of metrics.” The bishops framed AI as both a challenge and an opportunity, calling for training programmes that integrate faith and technology while preserving human-centred ministry.

The announcement follows a two-day plenary meeting held in Fátima on 16–17 June, where bishops discussed the pastoral implications of AI, automation, and algorithmic decision-making. While the statement did not specify concrete policy changes, it signalled a strategic shift in how the Church in Portugal prepares clergy for a digital future.

“It is not enough to adopt new tools,” the bishops wrote. “We must form agents who can use them critically, ethically, and in service of the Gospel.” The document also referenced Pope Francis’s 2024 apostolic exhortation *Laudate Deum*, which warned against the dehumanising effects of unchecked technological progress.

The statement comes amid growing debate in Europe over the ethical use of AI in public life. In the Czech Republic, for example, police have been required since Wednesday to warn drivers of mobile speed cameras, a legal change intended to improve transparency and compliance. Meanwhile, in Hradec Králové, an electric enforcement vehicle monitoring paid parking has been in operation for eight months, reducing non-compliance from an estimated 40 percent to levels that have eased police workloads.

In the Netherlands, meanwhile, a leading newspaper argued on Wednesday that public officials must do more than merely comply with laws, urging proactive ethical leadership in the age of AI. The editorial in *Trouw* stressed that governance in the digital era demands not just rule-following but moral foresight.

The Portuguese bishops’ call for digital formation reflects a broader reckoning within the Church. Earlier this year, the Vatican’s Dicastery for Communication launched an AI ethics working group, and several European dioceses have begun piloting AI-assisted pastoral tools, including chatbots for basic catechesis and parish administration.

While the bishops did not endorse specific technologies, they emphasised the need for formation that prioritises human dignity over efficiency. “The metric of success,” they wrote, “must always be measured in lives transformed, not in data processed.”