The Catholic Church observed the 60th World Day of Social Communications on May 17, 2025. In his first message for this significant day, Pope Leo XIV focused on the need and importance of 'Preserving Human Voices and Faces.' The message, written on the feast of the patron of communications, St Francis de Sales (January 24, 2026), is incisive and highlights some of the major challenges modern communications face today.

Throughout his message, Pope Leo insists that communications must be human. For this, he sets the tone in his opening paragraph, stating:
Our faces and voices are unique, distinctive features of every person; they reveal a person's own unrepeatable identity and are the defining elements of every encounter with others. The ancients understood this well. To define the human person, the ancient Greeks used the word "face" (prós?pon), because it expresses etymologically what is before one's gaze, the place of presence and relationship. The Latin term "person" (from per-sonare), on the other hand, evokes the idea of sound: not just any sound, but the unmistakable sound of someone's voice.

He goes on to emphasise that faces and voices are sacred since every human being is created in the image and likeness of God. This non-negotiable truth is our very first Catechism lesson and the basis of Catholic Social Teaching. Every human is endowed with a dignity which comes from God. Pope Leo asserts that human faces and voices must be preserved since they are indelible reflections of God's love. He further adds, "Each of us possesses an irreplaceable and inimitable vocation, that originates from our own lived experience and becomes manifest through interaction with others."

He feels that "The challenge, therefore, is not technological, but anthropological. Safeguarding faces and voices ultimately means safeguarding ourselves. Embracing the opportunities offered by digital technology and artificial intelligence with courage, determination and discernment does not mean turning a blind eye to critical issues, complexities and risks."

Pope Leo minces no words in taking on Artificial Intelligence (AI), saying that it reduces our ability to listen and think critically, and increases social polarisation. AI, he is convinced, threatens to diminish our cognitive, emotional and communication skills. It erodes our ability to think analytically and creatively, to understand meaning, and to distinguish between syntax and semantics.

He highlights how AI has taken control of several aspects of human life. AI, in many ways, seems to have numbed the humanity of an ordinary human being. He cautions, "However, renouncing creativity and surrendering our mental capacities and imagination to machines would mean burying the talents we have been given to grow as individuals in relation to God and others. It would mean hiding our faces and silencing our voices."

Towards the end of his message, he speaks about how digital innovation cannot be stopped, but that each of us must raise our voices in defence of human persons so that we can truly assimilate these tools as allies. He states, "This alliance is possible, but needs to be based on three pillars: responsibility, cooperation and education." He then elucidates each of these components, which are interrelated but essential to ensuring that all communications are human.

In this powerful message, Pope Leo poses several serious challenges to all communicators, especially Catholic communicators. Among them are: Are we prepared to do serious research, critical thinking and communications with a human face? How many Catholic communicators in India have written extensively about the Special Investigative Revision (SIR) that has been taking place in India and disenfranchising millions of legitimate citizens? How many have written about what is happening to the minorities in the country? How many have taken a stand against what is happening to the adivasis and dalits in the country? Have we been vocal against what is happening in the Car Nicobar islands?

Just using AI might give us a certain perspective very easily. But we should be aware that this viewpoint may be manipulative and cater mainly to those who try to control our lives and destinies. Therefore, it is important to engage with the real issue proactively, in a grassroots and critical manner, to help us arrive at the truth. Sadly, in most cases, Catholic communicators in India are trapped by the new-age technology, which often, as Pope Leo reminds us, takes us away from what is right and what is true.

In his concluding statements, Pope Leo makes it abundantly clear, "We need faces and voices to speak for people again. We need to cherish the gift of communication as the deepest truth of humanity, to which all technological innovation should also be oriented."

Do we, Catholic communicators in India, have the courage to make Pope Leo's message a reality in our communications?