Pope Leo XIV called on the world to protect human "dignity" on the internet, as it faces the "challenge" of artificial intelligence.

His comments came during the first liturgy in the Vatican for Catholic influencers, AFP reported.

He spoke to thousands of young Catholics who are in Rome this week for the Vatican's Youth Jubilee. The event is held every 25 years and comes at a time when the Catholic Church is trying to promote its message on the internet amid declining church attendance.

"Nothing that comes from man and his creativity should be used to undermine the dignity of others," Leo XIV told young Catholic social media personalities during a liturgy at St. Peter's Basilica.

He called on the world to defend "our ability to listen and speak" in the "new era" of artificial intelligence.

The Vatican is organizing a two-day event that brings together so-called "digital missionaries and Catholic influencers" from around the world in an effort to increase its presence on the internet.

This is the first time the centuries-old institution has organized such an event.

The pope also called on Catholic influencers on social media to convince others to create content that "includes seeking out those who suffer and need to know the Lord."

Since taking over the papacy in May, Leo XIV, an American-educated mathematician, has repeatedly warned of the dangers of artificial intelligence for young people. | BGNES