NUNTIATORIA

Counterfeit Voices, Real Dangers: Bishop Barron on AI Abuse

Bishop Robert Barron of Winona-Rochester has sounded the alarm over the growing proliferation of AI-generated videos impersonating him on social media. In a message shared on August 20, he stressed that what may appear silly—or even amusing—poses a serious threat to reputation and public trust¹. Barron recounted examples including a fabricated brawl in a Chicago restaurant, a supposed summons to Rome for high-level discussions with Pope Leo XIV, and even a video purporting to show him giving advice on how to “remove demons from your toilet”².

“This is all ridiculous,” Barron explained, noting that a moment’s scrutiny reveals the falsity of such productions. Yet the matter is not harmless: “These are fraudsters … it’s doing damage to my reputation, but it’s also doing damage to people who are being defrauded.” He urged the faithful to rely only on verified accounts: “Look for the blue check. That’s the sign it’s from me. Don’t take these silly things seriously. Don’t watch them”³.

A wider challenge of discernment
The bishop’s warning reveals more than a personal inconvenience. It demonstrates the capacity of modern technology to undermine trust in religious voices and to weaponise deception for financial gain. The danger is not unlike the “false prophets” warned of in Scripture (Matt. 7:15). If the voice of a shepherd can be forged, the sheep must be taught to discern.

Leo XIV on the ethical governance of AI
Pope Leo XIV has repeatedly spoken of the urgent need for an ethical framework in the development and use of artificial intelligence. In June he told participants at the Second Annual Conference on Artificial Intelligence, Ethics, and Corporate Governance that there is “urgent need for serious reflection and ongoing discussion on the inherently ethical dimension of AI, as well as its responsible governance”⁴. He warned that AI, though a tool of great ingenuity, can be misused “for selfish gain … or worse, to foment conflict and aggression”⁵.

The pope also emphasised the risks to the young: “All of us, I am sure, are concerned for children and young people and the possible consequences of the use of AI on their intellectual and neurological development. … Access to data — however extensive — must not be confused with intelligence”⁶.

At the AI for Good Summit in Geneva, he called humanity to responsibility: “Humanity is at a crossroads, facing the immense potential generated by the digital revolution driven by Artificial Intelligence … This epochal transformation requires responsibility and discernment to ensure that AI is developed and utilized for the common good”⁷. He underlined that “although responsibility for the ethical use of AI systems begins with those who develop, manage and oversee them, those who use them also share in this responsibility … AI therefore requires proper ethical management and regulatory frameworks centered on the human person”⁸.

A Catholic reflection
Barron’s experience and Leo XIV’s teaching converge in a single pastoral warning: deception is not only possible but pervasive in the digital age. The countermeasure is not despair but vigilance, prudence, and fidelity to authentic doctrine and witness. Catholics must cultivate discernment in what they consume, caution in what they share, and confidence in the voice of Christ, which cannot be imitated by machines.

Technology is not morally neutral; it is either directed to the common good or corrupted for exploitation. In an era when voices may be forged and truth counterfeited, the task of the faithful is to cleave more firmly to the truth of Christ, the teaching of His Church, and the virtue of prudence. Thus the warning of a bishop and the counsel of the pope become a single exhortation: to use new tools with wisdom, to guard against deception, and to remain steadfast in the light of the Gospel.

¹ Diego López Marina, “Bishop Barron warns about fake AI videos impersonating him,” ACI Prensa, 21 August 2025 (English translation adapted by CNA).
² Ibid.
³ Ibid.
⁴ Pope Leo XIV, Message to the Second Annual Conference on Artificial Intelligence, Ethics, and Corporate Governance, Vatican, 19–20 June 2025.
⁵ Ibid.
⁶ Pope Leo XIV, Address to the Second Annual Conference on Artificial Intelligence, Ethics, and Corporate Governance, Rome, 19–20 June 2025.
⁷ Pope Leo XIV, Message to the AI for Good Summit, Geneva, 10 July 2025.
⁸ Ibid.; see also Catholic News Service, “Pope Leo XIV says artificial intelligence must have ethical management,” 11 July 2025.