EWTN Africa Manager Urges Catholic Communicators to Keep Human Dignity at Heart of AI Use
Catholic communicators must ensure that Artificial Intelligence (AI) remains a tool in human hands and does not diminish human dignity, EWTN’s Regional Marketing Manager for Africa, George Wirnkar, has said.
He said the technology could help Catholic media serve as more effective witnesses to the truth of the faith, enhance collaboration among professionals and improve the delivery of pastoral and ecclesial communication. For Catholic communicators, he argued, the challenge is therefore not whether to use AI but how to use it responsibly and in a manner consistent with the Church’s mission. “Do not do anything which you cannot offer to God,” he said. Mr. Wirnkar said the principle should guide Catholic professionals whenever they select, use, or engage with AI tools. He also referred to ArchbishopFortunatus Nwachukwu’smessage to participants of the 2026 EWTN Summer Academyin Rome, where young media professionals were trained to contribute to the Church’s evangelization mission. (Story continues below)“Artificial intelligence is one of the greatest technological developments of our time, and like every tool, it should be welcomed with wisdom and used responsibly,” Mr. Wirnkar said in refernece to Archbishop Nwachukwu said. He revealed that EWTN has adopted a strict policy and code of conduct governing the use of artificial intelligence. “The overriding or underlying guideline for our use of AI is nothing can be done by AI from beginning to end,” he said. EWTN currently uses AI for areas including translation automation and procurement, while the organization is also considering potential applications for content creation. However, Mr. Wirnkar emphasized that such developments must remain subject to human oversight. He gave Catholic communicators three guiding principles: keep the human person at the center of AI, ensure that its use is consistent with what God would approve, and remember that technology is ultimately subordinate to the Church’s mission of evangelization. “We should never forget that we are agents of evangelization and AI tools can only be a support in the work of evangelization we are supposed to do,” he said. Jude Atemanke is a Cameroonian journalist with a passion for Catholic Church communication. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism and Mass Communication from the University of Buea in Cameroon. Currently, Jude serves as a journalist for ACI Africa.