The Catholic Church is going digital in a big way, a legacy of Pope Francis, who knew the power of social media. This week, the Vatican’s been hosting more than one thousand online influencers and digital natives from all over the world at its Jubilee for Digital Missionaries and Catholic Influencers. One of them is Father ROB GALEA, a priest from Victoria, a singer with eight albums, and an influencer with hundreds of thousands of followers.

As the Vatican seeks to harness social media to spread its message, others are warning that artificial intelligence poses a huge challenge to all religion. Could AI even be a rival to faith, projecting itself as a source of wisdom that’s neither human nor divine? Professor BETH SINGLER of the University of Zurich is the author of the new book, Religion and Artificial Intelligence.

GUESTS:

• Fr Rob Galea is an ordained Catholic Priest and is currently serving in Sandhurst Diocese, Victoria
• Professor Beth Singler - Assistant Professor in Digital Religions at the University of Zurich

Father Patrick Ryan, the rogue IRA spy priest died this week aged 94. Andrew West spoke to BBC journalist Jennifer O'Leary in 2023 - you can find that episode here

This program was recorded and produced on the lands of the Gadigal People of the Eora Nation