"Pope Leo XIV welcomes Catholic influencers at the Vatican to combat misinformation"
Pope Leo XIV made a historic move during the Catholic influencer festival in Rome, marking the first-ever Jubilee dedicated to digital missionaries and Catholic influencers. This significant event, held on July 28–29, 2025, coincided with the Youth Jubilee and brought together nearly a thousand young digital evangelizers from around the world [1][2].
The festival underlined the Church's commitment to engaging the digital continent as a vital space for spreading the Christian message. Inspired by Pope Francis’ call during the Synod on Synodality (2021–2024) to include everyone in the synodal journey, especially in the digital realm [1], the event featured both in-person gatherings in Rome and virtual participation options [2][3][4][5].
In Rome, Pope Leo XIV asked the Catholic influencers to combat fake news and seek out the suffering of others in digital spaces. He emphasized the need for a Christian humanist culture on the internet, stating that while science and technology influence our way of being and being in the world, they should not enslave humanity [1][2].
The atmosphere of the festival was electric, with the Catholic influencers—priests, nuns, and faithful using social media to preach and teach the faith—receiving a rock star-like welcome. The event had a vibrant outdoor festival in Risorgimento Square, filled with music, dance, and fellowship among young Catholics, reminiscent of a smaller-scale World Youth Day [1][2].
In Lisbon, Pope Leo XIV had previously invited the Catholic influencers to 'mend the nets' and create networks of love and communion [1]. One notable attendee was Father Guilherme Peixoto, the founder of the Catholic Mass Times app, which provides locations and times for Catholic liturgies worldwide and has registered two million downloads [1]. At the festival in Lisbon, Father Peixoto played a set mixing house music and interspersing both St. John Paul II's exhortation to young people "not to be afraid" and Pope Francis' insistence in Lisbon that the church has room for everyone, "all, all, all" [1].
This year's youth jubilee has adopted the mantra #allallall as its refrain [1]. The festival in Rome and the message delivered by Pope Leo XIV serve as a testament to the Church's adaptability in today's world, reaching existential peripheries through digital means [1][2]. The Pope's call to action encourages all Catholics to engage in digital evangelization, fostering unity, spiritual inspiration, and missionary zeal in the contemporary digital age.
Technology plays a significant role in the Church's digital mission during the Youth Jubilee, as Pope Leo XIV urges Catholic influencers to leverage social media for spreading the Christian message and combating fake news. The festival, marked by vibrant entertainment and cultural exchange, highlights the need for a Christian humanist culture in the digital realm, reflecting the Pope's vision of unity, spiritual inspiration, and missionary zeal in the contemporary age.
