Pope warns against 'losing humanity' to AI machines

BBC News · 🇬🇧 public United Kingdom · Sep 24, 2026 · 963 words · By Hugh Schofield

French Secularism (Laïcité) AI Ethics Catholicism in Europe

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Pope warns against 'losing humanity' to AI machines - Published Pope Leo XIV has issued a warning about the dangers of artificial intelligence (AI) at the start of his four-day visit to France.

Claims checked 26

Techniques found 2

Topics 3

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage

Left0%

Center86%

Right14%

7 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

Pope warns against 'losing humanity' to AI machines - Published Pope Leo XIV has issued a warning about the dangers of artificial intelligence (AI) at the start of his four-day visit to France.

Why it matters

The pontiff cautioned against "losing our humanity amid a paradise of machines" in wide-ranging remarks to Church and state officials at the Élysée Palace, following an hour of talks with President Emmanuel Macron.

Common ground

Leo made a similar warning earlier this year when he spoke of the need for AI to be "disarmed" in the first major teaching document of his papacy.

Perspective signals

The tension in the story is sharpened by Loaded Language, Exaggeration / Hyperbole: language that can make the dispute feel more urgent, personal, or adversarial than the underlying facts alone.

Follow-up questions

What new context would change how readers understand this French Secularism (Laïcité) story?
What evidence would most clearly confirm or weaken the claim that In fact his paternal grandmother was born in Le Havre in Normandy in 1894?
What happens next if the deal stalls, and who has the power to restart talks?

open_in_new Read the original article: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cmq8j904212po?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss

psychologyPropaganda Techniques Detected

eFinder identified 2 propaganda techniques in this article. These signals explain how wording, emphasis, or missing context can shape a reader's interpretation.

warning

Loaded Language 80% confidence

Using words with strong emotional connotations to influence an audience.

Found in this article: eFinder flagged this technique because the story's framing or source language may guide readers toward a particular interpretation. Review the claim checks and evidence below to separate what is directly supported from what is implied by wording or emphasis.

Why it matters: Recognizing loaded language helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

warning

Exaggeration / Hyperbole 70% confidence

Overstating facts or claims to create a stronger emotional response.

Why it matters: Recognizing exaggeration / hyperbole helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 26 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

schedule Pending 16

check_circle Corroborated 5

info Single Source 2

help Insufficient Evidence 2

verified Verified By Reference 1

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Claim 1: “In fact his paternal grandmother was born in Le Havre in Normandy in 1894.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

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Claim 2: “Actually Armenia, Georgia and Ethiopia preceded it [France] [in converting to Christianity].”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

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Claim 3: “Today France has secularised with the rest of Europe, and less than half of the population identifies as Catholic.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

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Claim 4: “Napoleon held two popes in captivity.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

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Claim 5: “The president will not be at any of the Pope's Masses, largely to avoid breaching France's strict separation of state and religion.”

CORROBORATED

Multiple independent web sources explicitly state that Emmanuel Macron would not attend any of the Masses celebrated by Pope Leo XIV to maintain distance from religious services.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Emmanuel Macron will not participate in any of the masses celebrated by Pope Leo XIV during his visit to France, which is scheduled to take place from September 25 to 28.
https://entrevue.fr/en/religions/visite-du-pape-en-france-em…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — French President Emmanuel Macron will not attend any of the Masses that Leo XIV will celebrate during his apostolic journey to France, scheduled from September 25 to 28.
https://infovaticana.com/en/2026/09/23/macron-distances-hims…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — In 2023, Macron attended Pope Francis’s Mass in Marseille, and critics said a French president had no place at a religious service. This time, he is keeping his distance. But French media also report …
https://zambianobserver.com/emmanuel-macron-will-not-attend-…

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Claim 6: “Several candidates for next year's presidential election are also due, including Marine Le Pen of the nationalist right, centrists Edouard Philippe and Gabriel Attal, and conservative Bruno Retailleau.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

info

Claim 7: “On Friday, Macron hailed Pope Leo's visit to France as a "great honour", stressing that French secularism "in no way negates religion".”

SINGLE SOURCE

While the visit and the greeting at the airport are confirmed, the specific quote describing the visit as a 'great honour' and the comment on secularism not negating religion are not present in the provided evidence.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Pope Leo XIV and French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris on Friday, at the start of Pope's four days visit to France.Benoit Tessier / AFP via Getty Images.Leo was greeted by President Emmanuel Macro…
https://www.nbcnews.com/world/europe/pope-leo-xiv-france-mes…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Macron and Pope Leo review troops during the official departure ceremony before the pontiff leaves France for Rome. The farewell marks the final official moment of Pope Leo’s visit, which included Par…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6R0scfZVvDg

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Pope Leo XIV, in white robes, waves from an open-top vehicle, surrounded by dense crowds gathered on a tree-lined avenue. The Arc de Triomphe is in the distant background. Pope Leo XIV, riding down Av…
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/09/30/world/europe/leo-france-p…

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Claim 8: “They did confirm that Pope Leo turned down Macron's idea of a meeting with artisans who helped rebuild the fire-devastated Notre-Dame cathedral.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

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Claim 9: “He was greeted at Orly airport early on Friday by Macron, with the pair expected to deliver a speech later in the day in Metz.”

CORROBORATED

Multiple web search results confirm President Macron greeted Pope Leo XIV at Orly airport on Friday and that they were expected to deliver a speech in Metz.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Pope Leo XIV landed at Paris-Orly Airport on Friday, launching a historic four-day apostolic trip to France, the first official visit by a reigning pontiff to the nation's capital in 18 years. Church …
https://www.myanmaritv.com/news/pope-leo-xiv-arrives-france-…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — President Emmanuel Macron greeted the Pope at Orly airport on Friday morning, and is due to hold talks with him at the Élysée Palace on geopolitical issues and artificial intelligence (AI) later. He w…
https://www.graphic.com.gh/international/international-news/…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — President Emmanuel Macron greeted the Pope at Orly airport on Friday morning, and is due to hold talks with him at the Élysée Palace on geopolitical issues and artificial intelligence (AI) later. He w…
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cmq8j904212po?at_medium=…

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Claim 10: “the number of adult baptisms more than doubling in five years to hit 10,000 in 2025.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

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Claim 11: “The Pope will also meet a group of migrants in Paris, and in Lourdes some victims of sexual abuse by members of the Catholic clergy.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

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Claim 12: “On Monday the Pope will be in Metz, in northeast France, where he will pay tribute to Robert Schuman (1886-1963), a founding father of the European Union and a fervent Catholic who is today a candidate for beatification.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

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Claim 13: “Born in Chicago in 1955, Pope Leo XIV was originally called Robert Prevost – a French name.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

verified

Claim 14: “Leo made a similar warning earlier this year when he spoke of the need for AI to be "disarmed" in the first major teaching document of his papacy.”

VERIFIED BY REFERENCE

Wikipedia confirms the existence of the encyclical 'Magnifica humanitas' published on May 25, 2026, and multiple web sources confirm the Pope's call for AI to be 'disarmed' in this first major teaching document.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — After the 2025 conclave resulting in the election of cardinal Robert Francis Prevost as Pope Leo XIV, both the United States and Peru celebrated his election (who has dual nationality) as their own. T…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_reactions_to_the…

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Magnifica humanitas (lit. 'magnificent humanity') is the first encyclical of Pope Leo XIV, concerned with "safeguarding the human person in the time of artificial intelligence" (AI). It was published …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magnifica_humanitas

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Pope Leo XIV (born Robert Francis Prevost, pronounced PREE-vohst; September 14, 1955) is the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of Vatican City. Born in Chicago, United States, Prevost became …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_Leo_XIV

+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 15: “On Sunday 150,000 have signed up to attend mass in the Pyrenean sanctuary of Lourdes.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

schedule

Claim 16: “After a Popemobile ride through crowds to Notre-Dame cathedral on Friday afternoon, Pope Leo XIV will be joined in the evening by 80,000 young people at the Stade de France in northern Paris.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

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Claim 17: “The highpoint of Leo's visit to France is set to be a giant Mass attended by more than half a million people in Paris on Saturday, for which an altar has been built on the Place de la Concorde and a large area around the Champs-Élysées sealed off by police.”

CORROBORATED

Multiple sources confirm a massive open-air Mass on Saturday at the Place de la Concorde and Champs-Élysées, with attendance estimates ranging from 600,000 to 800,000 people.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — A series of protests began in France on 19 January 2023 with a demonstration of over one million people nationwide, organised by opponents of the pension reform bill proposed by the Borne government t…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2023_French_pension_reform_str…

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Catacombs of Paris (French: Catacombes de Paris, ) are underground ossuaries in Paris, France, which hold the remains of more than six million people. Built to consolidate Paris's ancient stone q…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catacombs_of_Paris

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Paris in the 18th century was the second-largest city in Europe after London, with a population of about 600,000 people. The century saw the construction of Place Vendôme, the Place de la Concorde, th…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paris_in_the_18th_century

+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 18: “Recent popes have all come to France, most notably John-Paul II, who came several times between 1980 and 2004, and Pope Francis who came three times, but avoided Paris, going instead to Strasbourg, Marseilles and Corsica.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

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Claim 19: “The number of regular worshippers has fallen from 35% of the population in 1960 to less than 5% today”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

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Claim 20: “Pope Leo XIV has issued a warning about the dangers of artificial intelligence (AI) at the start of his four-day visit to France.”

CORROBORATED

Multiple independent sources (France 24, Dailymotion, and other web search results) confirm Pope Leo XIV's four-day visit to France and his warnings regarding the dangers of AI.

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+ 3 more evidence sources

info

Claim 21: “In his May appeal, he mentioned the slave trade in relation to AI, suggesting that the world was in danger of normalising the exploitation of people once again.”

SINGLE SOURCE

While the encyclical 'Magnifica humanitas' is verified, the specific link to the 'slave trade' and 'normalizing exploitation' is not explicitly corroborated across multiple independent sources in the provided evidence, though the general theme of AI risks is present.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Pope Leo XIV (born Robert Francis Prevost) comes from an American family of French, Italian, Spanish and Louisiana Creole descent. The surname "Prevost" (originally "Prévost") is from a French cognate…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Family_of_Pope_Leo_XIV

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Since his election on 8 May 2025, Pope Leo XIV has made six international trips outside Italy, during which he has visited ten countries. His visit to Turkey included an ecumenical commemoration of th…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_pastoral_trips_made_by…

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+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 22: “In recent years, French politicians have often invoked France's brand of secularism to justify bans on religious symbols, including Muslim women's attire, in public spaces and schools.”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence was provided or found in the search results to evaluate this claim.

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Claim 23: “In the 14th Century the papacy came in exile to Avignon in southern France”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

help

Claim 24: “The Champs-Élysées Mass will be attended by Macron's wife Brigitte and Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu.”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence was provided or found in the search results to evaluate the attendance of Brigitte Macron or Sébastien Lecornu.

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Claim 25: “The pontiff cautioned against "losing our humanity amid a paradise of machines" in wide-ranging remarks to Church and state officials at the Élysée Palace, following an hour of talks with President Emmanuel Macron.”

CORROBORATED

Web search results from multiple sources confirm the Pope spoke at the Élysée Palace after meeting with President Emmanuel Macron and used the phrase 'paradise of machines'.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Place de la Concorde (French: [plas d(ə) la kɔ̃kɔʁd] ; "Harmony Square"), originally the Place Louis XV (Louis XV Square), and later the Place Louis XVI (Louis XVI Square), is a public square in P…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Place_de_la_Concorde

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Pope John XXIII (born Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli; 25 November 1881 – 3 June 1963) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of Vatican City from 28 October 1958 until his death on 3 June 1963. Ronc…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_John_XXIII

+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 26: “the number of priests has shrunk by two-thirds from 25,000 in 1990 to fewer than 9,000.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.