Tag Archive for: AI

Pope Leo XIV’s Encyclical Magnifica Humanitas

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SPECIAL EDITION

Armodoxy for Today: Pope Leo’s Encyclical on magnificent humanity…

While the Christian Church celebrated Pentecost over the past weekend, His Holiness Pope Leo XIV issued his first encyclical “Magnifica Humanitas” (magnificent humanity) reflecting on the Church’s social teaching for the age of artificial intelligence.

In an unusual gesture, the Pope presented the Encyclical at the launch. (Popes will author and sign encyclicals and, generally will leave the presentation or “launch” to Church officials or representatives.)

 

The full text of Magnifica Humanitas is available here.

One year ago, on the feast of Pentecost, we shared with you a summation of the “Epostle” mission and vision as the electronic arm of the Church, with the title Pentecost: Technology and Language. We began working with technology in the 1990s, and established the first broadcasts in 2000. We have developed social media and podcast content since 2008. But over the last year, AI related challenges before the Church have increased exponentially. And certainly, we at Epostle have experimented and presented different models demonstrating AI assistance. Last year, with AI assistance we dared to present our Christian topic videos in over ten different languages to reach audiences across the planet. Our 2025 “Reclaim” conference explored the implications of AI use within faith communities. Currently, we are working on models for a virtual AI assistant capable of answering faith questions according to the teachings outlined in Armodoxy, that will be available 24/7 and as requested. Of course, AI uses in religion have not been confined to the Christian quarters, nor to the West. Earlier this month, the first non-human was ordained as a Buddhist monk – a robot – in the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism in Seoul, South Korea.

With this encyclical Pope Leo’s message is clear: human dignity must be protected in the age of artificial intelligence, and humanity must resist building a future in which technology eclipses the human person or excludes God.  He challenges us to think beyond the comforts and ease that AI affords us and find the magnificence in humanity.  In his words, “the true alternative is not between enthusiasm and fear, but between two paths of development, a progress that serves individual and peoples, or a progress that subjects them to the mentality of power.”

On this auspicious occasion of Pope Leo’s Encyclical, we reiterate our commitment to the sacred calling of the Holy Church and our ability to engage in it with the tools of the day. Excerpted from our message last year,

One of the gifts of the Holy Spirit is that of communications – to be able to fulfill the Great Commission of Jesus Christ, to share the Gospel message with the world. …to preach the gospel to the poor; to heal the brokenhearted,  proclaim liberty to the captives, and recovery of sight to the blind, and to set at liberty those who are oppressed…” (Luke 4)

As the earliest and most ancient of Tradition we are thankful to be able to accomplish this by the use of the latest language, that is technology. Today, on Pentecost, we celebrate our ability to engage in Apostolic evangelism in an electronic world. Our audience is expanding daily. We thank you for listening to our podcasts and broadcast, and sharing these messages with your family and friends. You’re plugging into new productions of podcasts, video lessons, daily messages, multiverse virtual presentations, virtual tours and much more, which are all spreading the message of peace and harmony through love as expressed and exemplified by Jesus Christ.

We take this opportunity to thank Archbishop Hovnan Derderian, the Diocesan Primate of the Western Diocese for his steadfast encouragement of this venture. In his words, Epostle is the future of the Church, available today! We will always strive to engage with new and innovative means by which to share the Gospel of love and hope. We thank you for taking this journey with us. May the blessings of the Holy Spirit be with you all, along with that of the Father and Son, now and always. Amen.

 

 

 

Reclaim 2025 – Reality in a world defined by Artificial Intelligence

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“Tomorrow’s Church is present here today!”
– Archbishop Hovnan Derderian

“Tomorrow’s Church is present here today!” exclaimed Archbishop Hovnan Derderian after a day of presentations and discussion at Reclaim 2025. The 9th Annual Reclaim Conference finished following a day of stimulating talks and discussions about the use of Artificial Intelligence in our lives today. Titled “Reclaiming Reality,” the conference brought together a w

orldwide audience, gathered locally at the Western Diocese, and following over the Epostle network to followers on five continents.

Archbishop Derderian, the Primate of the Western Diocese, was exceptionally pleased with the caliber of speeches and presentations that filled the day with stimulating conversations that bled into the breaks and kept attendees buzzing well after the event.

The Conference began with an orientation by Fr. Vazken Movsesian, director of Epostle.net, the Electronic Ministry of the Western Diocese. In a world where the difference between fact and fiction are blurred because of augmented and virtual realities, how to we decipher the difference between fact and fiction? And within the Church, where Truth is defined by the person of Jesus Christ, where are the places where AI can enhance the mission of our Church?

The presentations were exceptionally well thought prepared in their ability to stimulate the audience to discuss and ponder the issues that are pressing society and the world today. From a variety of different disciplines, the speakers grounded their talks in the reality of the Armenian Church today.

The topics and their presenters were as follows:

  • How to Master AI without Losing Your Own Intelligence by George Stepaniants, NSF Mathematical Sciences Postdoctoral Fellow at the California Institute of Technology
  • In What Image? Faith, Truth and Identity Amidst the Rise of Artificial Intelligence by Fr. Mesrop Ash, Parish Priest of St. John Armenian Church, San Francisco
  • The Divine Spark: Creativity, AI, and the Soul’s Journey by Gregory Beylerian, Award-winning multi-dimensional artist and Creative Director at Epostle
  • Good AI: Better Understand Subjective Reality by Karapet Mkrtchyan, PhD candidate of biomedical sciences at School of Medicine, UC Riverside
  • Intelligence: A Path to Knowledge and Spiritual Perfection in Armenian Philosophical Thinking by Dr. Hratch Tchilingirian, Director of Institutional Innovation at the Western Diocese

Ticket sales from the event were donated to Western Diocese LA Wildfires Disaster Relief Fund. Dn. Dikran Harutyunian of the Deacons Council made the presentation. Sousanna Pogosyan, of the Basement Tapes Podcast served as MC, and Lusine Takmazian, as chairman of the organizing committee shared her sincere appreciation to all those who contributed to the success of this year’s Reclaim, especially to Circle of Faith group, headed by Heidi Kavoukjian, for providing the lunch at the event.

Archbishop Derderian asked that the momentum continue, in his closing remarks. He saw the conference as a profession of the progressive nature of the Church in the Western Diocese, with Epostle being the digital platform for sharing the Armenian Church’s teachings to the world.  The Entire conference with follow up material will be available in an abbreviated format on the Epostle.net website. As the conference concluded there was a quick glance to next year – the 10th anniversary of Reclaim – as being a very special edition. Watch for details coming up.

Click To Watch The Reclaim Lectures.

Photos: Courtesy of Vahe Sargsyan

   

Enter AI – Exciting and Scary

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Armodoxy for Today: Exciting and Scary

At Epostle.net, when we say, Apostolic evangelism for an electronic and expanding universe, it is more than a catch phrase for us, it is our mission. Earlier this year we entered the metaverse with exhibits of the sacred spaces, the monasteries, the khatchkars and prayers of the Armenian Church which have defined civilization. Today, we mark a new day and a new era in Christian evangelism. Today we break the language barriers in sharing the OG Christian message from the ancient Armenian Church – what we have identified as Armodoxy – with a hurting world using the latest tools of artificial intelligence. Today we produce and share videos with the people of the world in their native languages, in French, Russian, Spanish and Korean, with Hindi, German and Chinese being the next languages to follow. While many will stand in awe of the technology our intention is not to showcase those means. The unbridled human spirit will create the tools that will keep us in awe. Ours is to share the unique and necessary message of the power of Love, through Jesus Christ with the world.

Welcome to the new world. It is an exciting and scary place.

This weekend as we commemorate the Assumption of the Blessed Mother, we remember that the announcement of her pregnancy was exciting and scary for her, as were the many events in her life, from the angel’s message to the Birth of the Christ Child, to her standing at the foot of the Cross, to her Assumption into Heaven. We take the first steps in this uncharted area of AI, realizing that the first steps will always be scary. At Epostle.net we connect dots from those events 2000 years ago to our lives today, so as not to lose sight of the purpose of the story. The Asdvadzadzin gave birth to God, the Love that overcomes hatred, the Light that illuminates the darkness, the Resurrection that is a victory over every crucifixion.

Jesus says, “The kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking beautiful pearls, who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had and bought it.” (Matt. 13:45-46)

We have found the pearl!

We take this opportunity to congratulate Team Epostle and especially Epostle creative director Gregory Beylerian for his leadership in exploration and development of these tools to spread the message.

We open this new chapter with an invitation to you to explore and share the many resources we have available, especially on the new international languages page. Join us in prayer, “Lord our God, open our hearts and our souls to the wonders of your love. Grant us the courage to seek the Pearl, the Kingdom that is within us and without us. Banish the fear that hinders us from sharing and celebrating the joy of life. Amen.”

Visit Epostle’s International languages page

Wella Moments

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Next Step #754 – November 17, 2022 – Pre-thanksgiving messages to the questions of robots with souls and worshipping with AI creatures. Not too far off considering Disney gave a soul and personality to a rodent named Mickey.  Carl Perkins helping Paul McCartney grieve John Lennon. Pope Francis and the World Day of the Poor: a challenge from the pages of In His Shoes. Baptism as a candle of hope.
Links
Daily Messages with Fr. Vazken
How God Works: Religion, Robots and AI
Paul McCartney grieving John Lennon 
Pope Francis: World Day of the Poor 
Why do we Baptize (AC101) 
Paul McCartney “Tug of War” 
Cover: “Over the clouds”
Produced by Suzie Shatarevyan for Epostle.net
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