Let us pray that the use of the new technologies will not replace human relationships, will respect the dignity of the person, and will help us face the crises of our times.
Pope Francis – April 2025
How I would like for us to look less at screens and look each other in the eyes more!
Something’s wrong if we spend more time on our cell phones than with people. The screen makes us forget that there are real people behind it who breathe, laugh, and cry.
It’s true, technology is the fruit of the intelligence God gave us. But we need to use it well. It can’t benefit only a few while excluding others.
So, what should we do? We should use technology to unite, not to divide. To help the poor. To improve the lives of the sick and persons with different abilities. Use technology to care for our common home. To connect as brothers and sisters.
It’s when we look at each other in the eyes that we discover what really matters: that we are brothers, sisters, children of the same Father.
Let us pray that the use of the new technologies will not replace human relationships, will respect the dignity of the person, and will help us face the crises of our times.
Credits
Campaign title:
The Pope Video – APRIL | For the use of the new technologies
A project by Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network
In collaboration with Vatican Media
Creativity and co-production by:
Coronation Media
Benefactors
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PRESS RELEASE
Pope Francis: Technology should not benefit only the few
- In the video illustrating his prayer intention for the month of April, the Pope asks that we pray “that the use of the new technologies will not replace human relationships, will respect the dignity of the person, and will help us face the crises of our times.”
- Pope Francis advocates putting technology at the service of every person, especially the weakest, and for taking care of the earth.
- “Something’s wrong if we spend more time on our cell phones than with people.”
(Vatican City, 1 April 2025). – Pope Francis’s prayer intention for the month of April is dedicated to the new technologies. The Pope requests prayers so “that the use of the new technologies will not replace human relationships, will respect the dignity of the person, and will help us face the crises of our times.” This is an extremely pertinent topic that affects us all, especially due to the enormous extension of social media networks and the dizzying development of Artificial Intelligence.
Technology at the service of the human person
His prayer intention is illustrated in the video message produced by the Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network, with the help this month of Coronation Media and in collaboration with the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development. In it, Pope Francis emphasizes that “technology is the fruit of the intelligence God gave us.” However, if it is not used well, it can produce negative effects. Among them, the Pope alludes to isolation and the lack of authentic relationships: “Something’s wrong if we spend more time on our cell phones than with people.” Cyberbullying and hatred manifested on social media networks are other major risks since “the screen makes us forget that there are real people behind it who breathe, laugh, and cry.” The Pope likewise warns that technology should not “benefit only a few while excluding others” since this would be one more cause for increasing economic, social, labor, educational, and other inequalities.
To avoid these dangers, Pope Francis invites us to place technology at the service of the human person, using it to unite people, to help those in need, to improve the lives of the sick and persons with different abilities, to foster a culture of encounter and to protect our planet.
Lastly, he touches on how the new technologies should not alienate us from others and from reality. This is why in his video message the Pope asks that we “look less at screens” to “look each other in the eyes more.” In this way, we would be able to “discover what really matters: that we are brothers, sisters, children of the same Father,” and act accordingly.
An ethical approach
Cardinal Michael Czerny, Prefect of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development, echoes Pope Francis’s words. “The new technologies,” he affirms, “are an important resource and tool at the service of the human family. Their use must be directed toward the respect and dignity of basic human rights if they are to be at the service of development. Let us unite ourselves to the Holy Father’s appeal so that digital progress might constitute a gift for humanity, respecting the dignity of each person, for justice and the common good.”
The need for an ethical approach for new technologies is underlined by Coronation Media, the U.S. production company that collaborated in the creation of this month’s video. “Coronation media is proud to support The Pope Video, continuing its decade-long service to the Catholic Church as an award-winning video and animation studio”, state its co-founders, Bill Phillips and Gary Gasse. “This collaboration represents a significant milestone in Coronation’s ongoing commitment to navigating the intersection of authentic human expression in new technologies and media. It has been a profound honor to directly support His Holiness’s timely message on the responsible use of technology to the global Church community. In a very concrete way, supporting this message is a reinforcement of our dedication to the ethical use of emerging technology to foster human flourishing, and to Crown the Good in our work”.
The effects of technology on our lives
The International Director of the Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network, Father Cristóbal Fones, explains that in the video, “Pope Francis wants to remind us that the responsible use of technology means putting it at the service of the human person and of creation. Used in this way, it can also be a means for giving glory to God since our capabilities and creativity come from Him. Similarly, the ethical use of the new technologies helps in the care of creation, in the protection of the dignity of the human person and in improving lives.”
On this point, Father Fones mentions other advances such as easier access to an infinity of educational resources online; telemedicine/telehealth, software used in healthcare and new diagnostic tools; software that improves communication and allows us to maintain contact around the world, even allowing teams to work together across distances; recycling technologies and renewable energy…. “Technology can be a powerful tool for addressing global crises such as poverty and climate change,” he states.
But the ethical use of technology “first of all requires that we look at others with the eyes of the heart, that we establish friendly relationships with them, which is what the Pope invites us to do,” Father Fones continues. “Respect for the dignity of every person and the common good are the principles that should guide us when discerning how and for what purpose to use technology.”
Lastly, “Pope Francis urges us to develop a critical awareness about how we use the new technologies and the effects they have on our own lives and on society. He also encourages us to use new technologies responsibly, and to promote their responsible use, so they foster integral human development for everyone, especially the most disadvantaged.”
The Jubilee 2025 indulgence
Within the context of the Holy Year 2025, it is worth recalling that one of the conditions necessary to gain the indulgence granted on the occasion of the Jubilee is to pray for the intentions of the Supreme Pontiff. The Pope Video presents and distributes his specific intentions.
The Pope Video is possible thanks to the generous contributions of many people. You can donate by following this link.
Where can the video be seen?
- Official website of The Pope Video
- YouTube channel of The Pope Video
- Facebook CTP page of The Pope Video
- The Pope Video on Twitter/X
- The Pope Video on Instagram
- The Pope on Twitter/X Verified @Pontifex
- The Pope on Instagram Verified @Franciscus
About The Pope Video
The Pope Video is an official global initiative with the purpose of disseminating the Holy Father’s monthly prayer intentions. It is carried out by the Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network (Apostleship of Prayer). Since 2016, The Pope Video has had more than 242 million views across all the Vatican’s social networks, and is translated into more than 23 languages, receiving press coverage in 114 countries. This video, produced by The Pope Video Prayer Network team, coordinated by Andrea Sarubbi, and created with the help of Coronation Media, is distributed with the help of the La Machi agency and with the collaboration of Vatican Media. More information: The Pope Video.
About the Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network
The Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network is a Pontifical Society, with the mission of mobilizing Catholics through prayer and action in response to the challenges facing humanity and the mission of the Church. These challenges are presented in the form of prayer intentions entrusted by the Pope to the entire Church. The foundation’s mission is inscribed in the dynamic of the Heart of Jesus, a mission of compassion for the world. It was founded in 1844 as the Apostleship of Prayer. It is present in 92 countries, and is made up of more than 22 million Catholics. It includes a youth branch, the Eucharistic Youth Movement (EYM). In July 2024, the Pope approved the definitive Statutes of this Pontifical Work (canonical and Vatican legal entity). Its interim international director is Father Cristóbal Fones, SJ. For more information, visit: https://www.popesprayer.va/.
About the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development
The Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development was created by Pope Francis on August 17, 2016. Beginning on January 1, 2017, the competencias of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, the Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerant People, the Pontifical Council Cor Unum and the Pontifical Council for Health Care Workers were assumed by the Dicastery. The Dicastery promotes the integral development of the person in light of the Gospel and in line with the Social Doctrine of the Church. It dedicates itself to the areas of the common good, peace and the safeguarding of Creation, human rights, health, migration and human trafficking, expressing the concern and attention of the Pope towards a humanity that suffers and is in need. For more information: https://www.humandevelopment.va/en.html.
About Coronation Media
Coronation Media is a video production company with specialization in animation, documentary and narrative content. It was founded in 2012 to bring high-quality video and animation to mission-driven organizations. Coronation rapidly became a market leader in the faith space, and regularly partners with national brands, non-profits, ministries, and educational organizations to tell their stories and widen their impact. Coronation’s work has served hundreds of organizations in brand initiatives, fundraising campaigns, and product development. Coronation’s emergent studio department is furthering this mission through the development of independent films to widen the impact of media that is true, good, and beautiful.
PRESS CONTACTS
POPE’S WORLDWIDE PRAYER NETWORK – VATICAN CITY [email protected]
PARTNERS:
DICASTERY FOR PROMOTING INTEGRAL HUMAN DEVELOPMENT [email protected]
CORONATION MEDIA Bill Phillips, Co-Founder & Executive Producer [email protected]
