At UNESCO in Paris, Pope Leo XIV said peace cannot be secured by treaties alone, urging a renewed commitment to truth, justice and human dignity during his Sept. 25-28 France trip.
Addressing the rise of AI, he warned that science and technology detached from ethics can become tools of domination, and said human worth must not be measured by efficiency or productivity.
Children and young people were a central focus: Leo backed UNESCO’s media-literacy work but said digital vulnerability must never become an opening for exploitation or manipulation.
Quoting UNESCO’s 1945 constitution that wars begin “in the minds of men,” he argued culture, education and communication can also be corrupted by ideology, propaganda and false information.
The speech also cast UNESCO as a key partner for the Holy See, which has had an observer mission there since 1952 and will mark 75 years at the agency next year.