Cardinal Kambanda Urges Catholic Church to Embrace Technology and Artificial Intelligence

Archbishop of Kigali and President of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference in Rwanda, Antoine Cardinal Kambanda, has emphasized the need for the Catholic Church to modernize its operations by embracing technology, including artificial intelligence (AI), in order to improve evangelization and reach young people more effectively.

He made these remarks on May 1, 2026, during the “Catholic Influencers Connect” conference held in Kigali, which brought together Church leaders, social media influencers, and Catholic artists.

Cardinal Kambanda noted that the world has changed significantly, and therefore the methods of spreading the Gospel must also be updated. He said, “The digital world does not accept long and complicated messages. It expects authentic witnesses and new ways of evangelization that fit this era.”

He further highlighted that AI and digital technologies are transforming the world at a rapid pace, stressing that the Church should not be left behind.

“Artificial intelligence is changing things quickly and profoundly. The Church must be present in this new digital frontier,” he said.

Rwanda remains a highly Christian country

Different statistics show that Rwanda continues to have a predominantly Christian population. Reports indicate that Catholics make up 39.7% of the population, followed by ADEPR with 21.4%, Protestants at 14.7%, Seventh-day Adventists at 12.2%, and other Christians at 4.2%.

These figures show that Christian denominations collectively represent more than 90% of the population, highlighting the continued central role of Christianity in the country’s social life. Historical reports from the 1990s and early 2000s also indicate that Christianity accounted for between 87% and 90% of the population, with the Catholic Church alone representing nearly 50% of all Christians at the time.

Christopher Muneza calls for reforms in Church evangelization

During the same conference, Gospel artist Christopher Muneza shared his views on how the Church could better engage believers, especially young people.

Among his suggestions were:

• Increasing time dedicated to worship and praise in Church services.
• Creating strong Catholic social media platforms.
• Establishing ways for Cardinals and priests to communicate with believers through social media.
• Modernizing the production and composition of Catholic songs to ensure wider reach on radio and digital platforms.
• Improving sound systems in churches to enhance audio quality.
• Developing online platforms to help believers access Church services digitally.

Muneza stressed that today’s youth need a Church that can communicate with them in a modern, accessible, and engaging way.

The Church and the digital era

Analysts say that the Catholic Church’s consideration of AI could significantly improve how messages are prepared, how audiovisual content is produced, and how the Church reaches young people on social media platforms, as well as offering digital religious services.

Cardinal Kambanda concluded by emphasizing that the question is no longer whether the Church should embrace technology, but how quickly it can do so in order to ensure that the Gospel reaches everyone.