Accra, Ghana: Dr Paolo Ruffini, Prefect of the Vatican’s Dicastery for Communication, has called on journalists to safeguard human dignity by serving others with “the intelligence of the heart” and “the wisdom of love,” warning against a future where algorithms dominate truth, beauty, and justice.
Addressing the triennial congress of the Union of the African Catholic Press (UCAP) attended by over 150 delegates from 30 countries Ruffini’s message, read by Monsignor Janvier Yameogo, urged media professionals to reflect deeply on how technological progress, especially artificial intelligence, can uphold rather than erode human values.
“In a world radically reshaped by social media,” Ruffini said, “we must prevent algorithms from creating systems of domination that pulverise individuality and ignore the true, the just, and the beautiful.” He framed the present moment as a crossroads: one path leads to “the dictatorship of the machine,” the other to “human freedom, without which there is no truth.”
The Vatican communications chief reminded the assembly that authentic communication is a “mutual gift of ourselves,” grounded in relationships that unite communities in solidarity. “No Church or community can live in isolation,” he stressed, especially at a time when the world faces violence, division, and a shrinking space for dialogue.
Ruffini also highlighted the potential of technology to create bonds that, if guided by ethical management and human-centred regulation, can strengthen the “ecclesial ‘we’” and serve the common good an emphasis echoed in Pope Leo XIV’s recent calls for AI governance.
Opening the congress, organisers underscored the shared mission of faith and professional collaboration, while the Ghana Journalists Association urged members to anchor their work in truth, fairness, responsibility, and compassion. The gathering, which runs until August 17, is focused on the theme: “Balance between technological progress and the preservation of human values in the age of artificial intelligence.”