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CTV News
11 hours ago
- Entertainment
- CTV News
Pope Leo XIV gets rock star's welcome at Catholic influencer festival
Pope Leo XIV greets faithful at the end of a mass celebrated by Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle in St. Peter's Basilica on the occasion of the Youth Jubilee at the Vatican, Tuesday, July 29, 2025. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia) VATICAN CITY — Pope Leo XIV on Tuesday received a rock star's welcome at the Vatican's festival of Catholic influencers — priests, nuns and ordinary faithful who use their social media presence to preach and teach the faith — as he urged them to ensure that human relations don't suffer with the spread of digital ecosystems and artificial intelligence. History's first American pope was mobbed by hundreds of influencers, their cellphones hoisted high to stream the encounter, when he arrived in St. Peter's Basilica after a special Mass. The pilgrims have descended on Rome for a special Holy Year celebration of so-called 'digital missionaries,' part of the Vatican's weeklong Jubilee for young people that culminates this weekend with a vigil and Mass in a vast field on Rome's outskirts. Leo thanked the young people for using their digital platforms to spread the faith, and he gamely posed for selfies. But he warned them about neglecting human relationships in their pursuit of clicks and followers, and cautioned them to not fall prey to fake news and the 'frivolity' of online encounters. 'It is not simply a matter of generating content, but of creating an encounter between hearts,' Leo said in a speech that showed his ease switching from Italian to Spanish to English. 'Be agents of communion, capable of breaking down the logic of division and polarization, of individualism and egocentrism.' 'It is up to us – to each one of you – to ensure that this culture remains human,' he said. 'Our mission – your mission – is to nurture a culture of Christian humanism, and to do so together' in what he called the only networks that really matter: of friendship, love and the 'network of God.' Warnings against going off-message For the past two days, the Vatican's message to the young influencers has been one of thanks for their social media evangelizing, but also a warning to not allow their posting to go off-message or to neglect the human dimension of all encounters. For Leo, the issue is particularly heartfelt since he has said that addressing the threat to humanity posed by AI will be a priority of his pontificate. The Rev. David McCallum, an American Jesuit who heads a leadership development program and spoke to the influencers at a conference Monday, held periodic breaks in his presentation with instructions for those in the audience to actually speak with the person next to them, for up to 10 minutes at a time. Cardinal Antonio Tagle, the head of the Vatican's evangelization office, urged the influencers to avoid anything that smacks of false advertising, coercion or brainwashing in their posting, or to use their platform to make money. He noted that he himself had been a victim of a fake video advertising arthritis medicine. 'Brothers and sisters, be discerning,' Tagle told the influencers in his homily at Tuesday's Mass. A mini World Youth Day in Rome Tuesday began with groups of influencers and young pilgrims passing through the basilica's Holy Door, a rite of passage for the estimated 32 million people participating in the Vatican's 2025 Holy Year celebrations. This week, downtown Rome swarmed with energetic, singing and dancing masses of teenage Catholic scouts, church and Catholic school groups. It all had the vibe of a scaled-down World Youth Day, the once-every-three-year Catholic Woodstock festival that was inaugurated by St. John Paul II. The most recent one in Lisbon, Portugal, went viral thanks to the Rev. Guilherme Peixoto, a village priest in northern Portugal who also happens to be a DJ. He's in Rome this week, though it's not clear if he will reprise his now-famous set that woke young people up before Pope Francis' final Mass in Lisbon. In it, as he jammed to house music behind his console in full clerical collar, Peixoto spliced into the set both St. John Paul II's exhortation to young people to 'be not afraid' and Francis' insistence in Lisbon that the church had room for everyone, 'todos, todos, todos.' That mantra has become something of the refrain for this year's youth Jubilee, with #todostodostodos being used across platforms by pilgrims posting about their time in Rome. Pablo Licheri, who founded the Catholic Mass Times app, which provides locations and times for Catholic liturgies around the world and has registered 2 million downloads, said he has been heartened by both Leo's message of unity and the enthusiasm of social media-savvy Catholics like him. 'I was especially moved to meet so many fellow Catholic influencers in person and to pray together with others who share the same passion for spreading the joy of God's love,' he said after Tuesday's Mass. ___ Nicole Winfield, The Associated Press Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP's collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.
Toronto Sun
12 hours ago
- General
- Toronto Sun
Pope Leo XIV gets rock star's welcome at Catholic influencer festival
Published Jul 29, 2025 • 3 minute read Pope Leo XIV greets faithful at the end of a mass celebrated by Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle in St. Peter's Basilica on the occasion of the Youth Jubilee at the Vatican, Tuesday, July 29, 2025. Photo by Gregorio Borgia / AP VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Leo XIV on Tuesday received a rock star's welcome at the Vatican's festival of Catholic influencers — priests, nuns and ordinary faithful who use their social media presence to preach and teach the faith — as he urged them to ensure that human relations don't suffer with the spread of digital ecosystems and artificial intelligence. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account History's first American pope was mobbed by hundreds of influencers, their cellphones hoisted high to stream the encounter, when he arrived in St. Peter's Basilica after a special Mass. The pilgrims have descended on Rome for a special Holy Year celebration of so-called 'digital missionaries,' part of the Vatican's weeklong Jubilee for young people that culminates this weekend with a vigil and Mass in a vast field on Rome's outskirts. Leo thanked the young people for using their digital platforms to spread the faith, and he gamely posed for selfies. But he warned them about neglecting human relationships in their pursuit of clicks and followers, and cautioned them to not fall prey to fake news and the 'frivolity' of online encounters. Your noon-hour look at what's happening in Toronto and beyond. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. 'It is not simply a matter of generating content, but of creating an encounter between hearts,' Leo said in a speech that showed his ease switching from Italian to Spanish to English. 'Be agents of communion, capable of breaking down the logic of division and polarization, of individualism and egocentrism.' 'It is up to us — to each one of you — to ensure that this culture remains human,' he said. 'Our mission — your mission — is to nurture a culture of Christian humanism, and to do so together' in what he called the only networks that really matter: of friendship, love and the 'network of God.' Warnings against going off-message For the past two days, the Vatican's message to the young influencers has been one of thanks for their social media evangelizing, but also a warning to not allow their posting to go off-message or to neglect the human dimension of all encounters. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. For Leo, the issue is particularly heartfelt since he has said that addressing the threat to humanity posed by AI will be a priority of his pontificate. The Rev. David McCallum, an American Jesuit who heads a leadership development program and presented Monday, held periodic breaks with instructions for those in the audience to actually speak with the person next to them, for up to 10 minutes at a time. Cardinal Antonio Tagle, the head of the Vatican's evangelization office, urged the influencers to avoid anything that smacks of false advertising, coercion or brainwashing in their posting, or to use their platform to make money. He noted that he himself had been victim of a fake video advertising arthritis medicine. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. 'Brothers and sisters, be discerning,' Tagle told the influencers in his homily at Tuesday's Mass. Pope Leo XIV greets faithful at the end of a mass celebrated by Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle in St. Peter's Basilica on the occasion of the Youth Jubilee at the Vatican, Tuesday, July 29, 2025. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia) A mini World Youth Day in Rome Tuesday began with groups of influencers and young pilgrims passing through the basilica's Holy Door, a rite of passage for the estimated 32 million people participating in the Vatican's 2025 Holy Year celebrations. This week, downtown Rome swarmed with energetic masses of teenage Catholic scouts, church and Catholic school groups. It all had the vibe of a scaled-down World Youth Day, the once-every-three-year Catholic Woodstock festival that was inaugurated by St. John Paul II. The most recent one in Lisbon, Portugal went viral thanks to the Rev. Guilherme Peixoto, a village priest in northern Portugal who also happens to be a DJ. He's in Rome this week, though it's not clear if he will reprise his now-famous set that woke the young people up before Pope Francis' final Mass in Lisbon. In it, he spliced into the set both St. John Paul II's exhortation to young people to 'be not afraid' and Francis' appeal in Lisbon that the church has room for everyone, 'todos, todos, todos.' MLB Sunshine Girls Opinion Toronto & GTA Toronto & GTA
Straits Times
13 hours ago
- Politics
- Straits Times
Pope warns against undermining human ‘dignity' in AI, social media era
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox Pope Leo XIV greets faithful at the end of a mass in St. Peter's Basilica on the occasion of the Youth Jubilee at the Vatican City, on July 29. VATICAN CITY - Pope Leo XVI on July 29 called on the world to protect human 'dignity' online as it faces the 'challenge' of AI, at the Vatican's first mass for Catholic influencers. He was speaking as thousands of young Catholics are in Rome this week for the Vatican's Jubilee of Youth – an event that takes place every 25 years – and as the Catholic Church tries to promote its message online amid a fall in church attendance. 'Nothing that comes from Man and his creativity should be used to undermine the dignity of others,' Pope Leo told young Catholic social media figures at a mass in St Peter's Basilica. He called on the world to protect 'our ability to listen and speak' in the 'new era' of artificial intelligence. The Vatican is holding a two-day event bringing together what it calls 'digital missionaries and Catholic influencers' from around the world in a bid to promote its presence online. It is the first time the centuries-old institution holds such an event. He also called on Catholic social media influencers to convince others to create content that will 'entail seeking out those who suffer and need to know the Lord'. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore Grace Fu apologises for Tanjong Katong sinkhole, says road may stay closed for a few more days Singapore Terrorism threat in Singapore remains high, driven by events like Israeli-Palestinian conflict: ISD Singapore S'pore can and must meaningfully apply tech like AI in a way that creates jobs for locals: PM Wong Singapore 7, including child and firefighter, taken to hospital after fire breaks out in Toa Payoh flat Sport IOC president Kirsty Coventry a 'huge supporter' of Singapore Singapore ICA inspector obtained bribes in the form of sex acts from 6 foreign men in exchange for his help Singapore Doctor who forged certificates for aesthetic procedures gets 4 months' jail Singapore 12 motorists nabbed for providing illegal private-hire services: LTA Since taking over the papacy in May, the Pope – an American mathematics graduate – has repeatedly warned about the dangers of AI for young people. AFP
Herald Malaysia
16-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Herald Malaysia
The Church prepares its first Jubilee for Catholic influencers
Rome prepares to host thousands of digital missionaries for a landmark gathering of prayer, formation, and fraternity on July 28–29. Jul 16, 2025 file photo of digital missionaries meeting to prepare for Jubilee By Sebastián Sansón FerrariFor the first time in its history, the Catholic Church will celebrate a Jubilee event within a Holy Year specifically dedicated to digital missionaries and Catholic influencers, formally recognising the digital environment as a true field of mission. The gathering will take place in Rome on July 28 and 29, 2025, coinciding with the opening days of the Youth Jubilee. Many young people who evangelise through social media will be actively involved in both celebrations. This unprecedented initiative, organised by the Dicastery for Communication, will bring together nearly one thousand digital missionaries from around the world, with strong representation from Latin America, the Caribbean, and Spain. These evangelizers proclaim the joy of the Gospel through social media, video platforms, blogs, and apps, offering a creative, accessible, and engaged Christian witness within the digital continent. For those unable to travel to the Eternal City, parallel virtual events will be offered through registration at the official website allowing many others to participate from their local contexts of mission. While in-person registration has closed, participants are still welcome to join online. The two main formative sessions of the Jubilee will also be livestreamed via the YouTube channel La Iglesia Te Escucha ("The Church Listens to You"). This initiative emerged in response to Pope Francis' call during the Synod on Synodality (2021–2024), which emphasised the importance of bringing the Good News into the digital world and ensuring no one is excluded from the synodal journey. It stands as a clear expression of a missionary Church, one that reaches out to the existential peripheries of contemporary society. Spirituality, formation, celebration The Jubilee program will unfold in three key phases. The spiritual component centres on the pilgrimage through the Holy Door—a hallmark of every Holy Year and a sign of interior renewal and openness to grace. This will be followed by a formative phase, featuring keynote presentations, workshops, and testimonies at the Auditorium Conciliazione. These sessions aim to provide pastoral tools for digital mission and foster spaces for shared reflection. The final phase will be a celebratory moment: a festival in Piazza Risorgimento highlighting art, music, and creativity as dynamic languages of evangelisation and communion in the digital sphere. Both venues are within walking distance of St. Peter's Square. Compassionate evangelisation in the digital space This Jubilee answers Pope Francis' invitation to be 'Good Samaritans' in the digital world. The Holy Father has urged the faithful to inhabit online spaces with compassion, humanity, and closeness, not merely through functional or technical presence, but through a pastoral approach of hope. He has repeatedly emphasised the need for a communication that listens, amplifies the voices of the voiceless, and disarms words marked by division or hostility—a theme also echoed by Pope Leo XIV in his first meeting with media professionals. The Jubilee also builds upon the first global gathering of digital evangelizers, held during World Youth Day in Lisbon in 2023. That event gave rise to an international network of missionaries, which is now being strengthened and projected toward the future through this Jubilee initiative. In the coming days, the Jubilee's official website will release a dedicated spiritual guide to help participants prepare internally for the event. Promotional materials and graphic resources are already available for download to inspire and support the missionary dimension of participants, whether in Rome or in the digital peripheries. A hymn that unites voices and cultures One of the highlights of the Jubilee's preparation has been the release of its official hymn, Todos ("Everyone"). The song is a collaborative project uniting Catholic artists from around the globe. The title Todos echoes Pope Francis' powerful affirmation during World Youth Day in Lisbon on August 3, 2023: 'In the Church, there is room for everyone, everyone, everyone!' The hymn captures the inclusive, synodal, and missionary spirit that animates this Jubilee.--Vatican News
Herald Malaysia
28-04-2025
- General
- Herald Malaysia
Participants in Youth Jubilee take part in 'Via Lucis'
Participants in Youth Jubilee take part in 'Via Lucis' Thousands of young people from around the world, in Rome for their Jubilee and to pay their respects to Pope Francis, gather to pray the 'Via Lucis', reflecting on the Resurrection. Apr 28, 2025 The Via Lucis for the Jubilee of Young People VATICAN: "Dear young people, let us experience the joy of your Jubilee of Young People by retracing some of the stages of the Via Lucis: the journey of the Risen Christ together with his disciples. Our life is full of joys and sorrows, questions and queries, but also expectations and hopes.' With these words, Archbishop Rino Fisichella, pro-prefect of the Dicastery for Evangelisation welcomed the tens of thousands of teenagers who had arrived in Rome for the Jubilee of Young People. At 6pm, they all gathered at the Steps of the Church of Saints Peter and Paul in southern Rome to experience the first event of their Jubilee: the Via Lucis, a prayer initiative begun in 1988 by the Salesians which takes inspiration from the "Via Crucis", or stations of the cross, but focuses on the Resurrection. Songs, prayers, meditations After having travelled to St Peter's to pay their respects to Pope Francis, the young people travelled to the south of Rome. They waved flags, sang together with the choir of the Diocese of Rome and above all prayed during this special moment in the life of the universal Church. A youth theatre troupe read the passages of the seven stations of the 'Via Lucis', and meditations taken from the Gospel and the Acts of the Apostles. With the background music, the icon of the Virgin was enthroned and the unforgettable song of the 2000 World Youth Day - Jesus Christ you are my life - was sung. "The Via Lucis, taking inspiration from the stages of the Lenten Way of the Cross, retraces the encounters of the risen Jesus with the eyewitnesses to the resurrection, from Easter Day to Pentecost," explains Fr Massimo Tellan, the Roman parish priest who organised the prayer moment. Living grief with hope The Paschal Candle was present next to the Pope's coffin last Wednesday as it was translated to St Peter's, and it was also present for the Via Lucis, where seven torches were lit from its flame. "For us believers, a funeral is an accompaniment towards the Father's house," Don Massimo goes on to explain, "and being able to pray with this perspective helps the young people to see this moment of transition and pain in the light of the Hope that does not disappoint, which is Christ himself".--Vatican News
