Bishops warn that new technology could widen religious persecution

Tomorrow, October 27, is International Religious Freedom Day. The United States observes it to mark the signing of the International Religious Freedom Act in 1998. Ahead of the day, two chairmen of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops issued a statement on October 21, warning that new technology could deepen the persecution of believers around the world.

The statement came from Archbishop Alexander K. Sample, chairman of the USCCB's Committee for Religious Liberty, and Bishop A. Elias Zaidan, chairman of its Committee on International Justice and Peace. Catholic Culture identifies them as Archbishop Sample of Portland, Oregon, and Maronite Bishop Zaidan of Los Angeles. The bishops wrote that "millions of people continue to suffer violations of the basic human right to religious freedom," and that rapidly developing tools such as artificial intelligence "have the potential to expand such abuses, increasing the scope of surveillance and persecution of religious groups."

The bishops pointed to Pope Leo XIV, who in Magnifica humanitas teaches that the right to religious freedom is rooted in human dignity. That teaching, they said, gives "decisive criteria" for protecting individuals and societies. Their conclusion is the statement's title: in the age of AI, human dignity remains at the heart of defending religious freedom.

The statement also describes practical work. The USCCB's Committee on International Justice and Peace works with the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom on violations around the world, and the bishops called that partnership a "testament to the power of joint efforts by government and faith leaders to protect this most cherished right." They said all of society, including the private sector, is called to make sure technology is not used for new and intensified forms of religious discrimination.

The bishops closed by noting that this is the 250th year since American independence. They prayed that Catholics would be beacons of hope for brothers and sisters around the world by defending religious freedom in the digital age. Genesis 1:27 is the root of it all. Every person who is watched, tracked or punished for his faith bears the image of God. Pray tomorrow for believers under surveillance, and for the leaders in government and industry who decide how these tools will be used.

Read Genesis 1:27