Pope Leo XIV Calls for Peace and Safer AI for Young People at UNESCO Visit

The visit, made at UNESCO’s invitation, was the Pope’s first to a United Nations agency outside Italy and came 46 years after Pope John Paul II addressed the organisation on 2 June 1980.

Pope Leo XIV called for stronger international cooperation and greater protection for young people in the digital world during his visit to UNESCO's Paris headquarters on 25 September 2026, placing human dignity at the centre of his message on peace and technological change. Addressing more than 1,400 people, including representatives of Member States, National Commissions and UNESCO's global community, he said building a more just and peaceful world requires a commitment to justice and ethical responsibility that reaches beyond treaties and political agreements.

A Shared Responsibility for Peace

The visit, made at UNESCO's invitation, was the Pope's first to a United Nations agency outside Italy and came 46 years after Pope John Paul II addressed the organisation on 2 June 1980. It followed a meeting with UNESCO Director-General Khaled El-Enany at the Vatican on 5 June 2026, continuing their discussions about peace, human dignity and artificial intelligence. Pope Leo reaffirmed the Holy See's support for UNESCO's founding mission, describing the organisation as a place where humanity can reflect on its history, shared identity and future.

Drawing on UNESCO's constitutional principle that peace must be built in human minds, the Pope stressed the need for moral responsibility in the way societies resolve conflict and live together. The Holy See's Observer Mission will mark 75 years at UNESCO in 2027, an anniversary he presented as an opportunity to renew their shared commitment to human dignity, development and international cooperation. El-Enany described education, science, culture, communication and information as essential parts of that partnership, with people at the heart of the organisation's work, from students and teachers to researchers, artists, journalists, local communities and Indigenous Peoples.

Keeping People at the Centre of AI

Pope Leo warned that artificial intelligence must serve people rather than become a means of domination, exploitation or exclusion, explaining that the ability to process data does not equip a machine to answer fundamental human questions about truth and meaning. His appeal gave particular attention to children and young people, whose vulnerability must never become an opening for exploitation. He called for technologies that support their education, personal growth and relationships, protect their freedom to think and exercise judgement, and respect their dignity, welcoming UNESCO's work on Media and Information Literacy.

El-Enany said machines cannot replace human judgement, moral responsibility, creativity or empathy, pointing to UNESCO's 2021 Recommendation on the Ethics of Artificial Intelligence as the first global normative instrument in this field. He outlined work with Member States, experts and networks to make AI ethical, accessible, equitable and sustainable, supporting learning, teaching, research and creativity, tackling discrimination and strengthening information integrity. Access to quality education and media literacy, he explained, can help young people understand and use AI with greater confidence, giving them a meaningful role in shaping its place in society.

Young Voices and a Gesture of Hope

The Pope's address followed a morning of discussions at UNESCO's Forum on Youth in the Age of AI, where scholars, philosophers, scientists, artists and content creators examined the technology's influence on education, culture and information. Youth empowerment was central to those conversations, connecting the opportunities of AI with the knowledge young people need to navigate its effects. The visit included a symbolic act of peace as the Pope and El-Enany each watered the Olive Tree of Peace in UNESCO's Square of Tolerance and viewed the Peace Wall. El-Enany presented a Book of Peace containing messages from Member State representatives, UNESCO colleagues and international networks.

UNESCO brings together 194 Member States, with offices in 53 countries and more than 2,500 staff. Its reach includes over 2,260 World Heritage sites, Biosphere Reserves and Global Geoparks, networks of more than 1,500 cities, over 13,000 associated schools, university chairs, training and research institutions, and 201 National Commissions.