PMU: Artificial intelligence and mission at the center of the Pontifical Missionary Union's Online International Conference

Next Friday, October 31, the anniversary of the founding of the Pontifical Missionary Union (PMU), the second annual online International Conference organized by the Missionary Society, founded by Blessed Paolo Manna, will be held. Next year, PMU—defined by Saint Paul VI as "the soul of the other Pontifical Mission Societies"—will celebrate the 110th anniversary of its founding. This Online International Conference is part of a series of initiatives planned for the 2024-2026 period, aimed at commemorating not only the centenary of PMU, but also the 100th anniversary of the institution of World Mission Sunday. 
The Conference, open to all, is specifically aimed at national and diocesan directors of the Pontifical Mission Societies (PMS), national secretaries of the PMU, and all those involved in the PMS network at the national and diocesan levels. 
This year, the discussion will focus on artificial intelligence, its use, and how to harness its positive potential in the field of missionary animation and formation. 
Father Dinh Anh Nhue Nguyen, OFMConv, Secretary General of the PMU, will officially open the conference on Friday, October 31, at 12:30 p.m. (Rome time). During the session, a presentation is scheduled by Karol Gnat, Producer, television presenter, initiator, creator of the channel “Odbudowani” (Rebuilt) who will address the topic "Artificial Intelligence: Opportunities for Missionary Animation, Collaboration, and Formation," and will also see the participation of Father Maciej Bedzinski, Director of the Polish PMS, who will address the question "How can we use artificial intelligence in formation?" 
As Father Dinh Anh Nhue Nguyen explained, "The conference will have a celebratory character, commemorating the anniversary of the founding of PMU, but also an inaugural one, as it is intended to be the first in a series of three conferences that, throughout 2026, will aim to concretely illustrate the possibility of appropriately exploiting artificial intelligence for missionary formation and animation, as well as for ongoing self-formation." 
The Secretary General adds: "In the spirit of the great saint and missionary Saint Maximilian Maria Kolbe, missionary in Japan and martyr of charity in Auschwitz, it is necessary to use all lawful means to bring souls closer to God, to his kingdom, and to the Immaculate Conception." The conference, which will be held in English with simultaneous translation into French, Spanish, Italian, and Portuguese, will conclude at 2:00 PM (Rome time).