Pope Leo XIV on Tuesday received a rock star's welcome at the Vatican's festival of Catholic influencers — priests, nuns and ordinary faithful who use their social media presence to preach and teach the faith — as he urged them to ensure that human relations don’t suffer with the spread of digital ecosystems and artificial intelligence.

Pope Leo XIV unexpectedly arrived at a welcome ceremony for young Catholics, receiving a warm reception. Over 120,000 young pilgrims celebrated in St. Peter's Square as Leo urged them to be symbols of hope and peace.

Let us hope that all of you will always be a sign of hope for the whole world,' said the Holy Father, this time speaking in Italian.