Vatican City: Pope Leo XIV has reaffirmed the irreplaceable role of doctors in the healing process, insisting that artificial intelligence (AI), while useful, can never substitute the compassion, presence, and personal connection that physicians bring to their patients.
The Pope addressed members of the Latin Ibero-American and Caribbean Medical Confederation (CONFEMEL) at the Vatican on Thursday, offering words of gratitude and encouragement to the group, which represents more than two million medical professionals across Latin America, the Iberian Peninsula, and the Caribbean.
In his remarks, the Pope drew attention to the spiritual dimension of healthcare, recalling the Church’s celebration of the Memorial of the Holy Guardian Angels. Just as angels guide and protect, he said, doctors are called to safeguard the lives and dignity of their patients.
Quoting St. Augustine, he described Christ as both “physician and medicine” a reminder, he said, that healing is not limited to clinical procedures but is also rooted in dialogue, communication, and human closeness. “Health care is not mechanical,” the Pope stressed, “but a relationship built on trust and compassion.”
He illustrated this through the Gospel account of Jesus healing the leper (Mark 1:40–42), explaining that Jesus’ gesture was not merely technical but profoundly personal: “The one who could not be touched finds health and salvation in a caress from Jesus.”
The Pope also recalled the life of Blessed José Gregorio Hernández, a Venezuelan physician known as the “doctor of the poor.” He praised Hernández’s ability to blend professional excellence with service to society’s most vulnerable, presenting him as a model for today’s doctors to follow.
Turning to modern challenges, Pope Leo acknowledged the growing role of artificial intelligence in clinical care. While recognizing AI’s potential to enhance diagnosis and treatment, he warned against overreliance on technology.
“An algorithm can never replace a gesture of closeness or a word of comfort,” he said, underlining that no machine can replicate the healing power of empathy. Quoting Pope Benedict XVI, he described physicians as “reservoirs of love, bringing serenity and hope to those who suffer.”
The Pope concluded his address by encouraging doctors to face the “great and stimulating challenges” of their profession with courage and faith. He entrusted them to Christ, “our hope,” and to Mary, Health of the Sick, asking that they be strengthened in their vocation as healers who embody compassion and dignity.
The message comes at a time when healthcare systems worldwide are grappling with both technological advances and human resource crises. For Pope Leo XIV, the balance is clear: technology must remain an aid, not a substitute, for the sacred bond between doctor and patient.