[SPOTLIGHT]26/06/09 Korean Church honors Vatican AI advisor for ethics leadership

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Seoul Archdiocese has honored individuals and organizations defending the dignity and value of human life for twenty years

Archbishop Peter Chung Soon-taick (center) is seen with the winners of 20th Mystery of Life Awards including Franciscan priest Father Paolo Benanti (second-right) at The Catholic University of Korea in Seoul on June 9. (Photo: Seoul Archdiocese)

By UCA News reporter

Published: June 10, 2026 11:59 AM GMT

Updated: June 10, 2026 12:34 PM GMT

South Korea’s Seoul Archdiocese conferred a prestigious award for ethics leadership to an Italian Catholic priest, theologian and academic who serves as an advisor to the Vatican on Artificial Intelligence (AI)-related matters.

Franciscan priest Paolo Benanti received the Achievement Award in Humanities and Social Sciences at the 20th Mystery of Life Awards Ceremony, held at The Catholic University of Korea on June 9, Seoul archdiocese said in a statement.

He has been honored for his work on ethics in AI and technology governance.

The award ceremony was hosted by the Seoul Archdiocesan Committee for Life. The committee’s chairman, Archbishop Peter Chung Soon-taick of Seoul, and the nation’s Prime Minister Kim Min-seok were among the dignitaries present.

Others included Seoul’s retired Archbishop Cardinal Andrew Soo-jung Yeom and Auxiliary Bishop Job Yo-bi Koo of Seoul.

In his acceptance remarks, Benanti reflected on the meaning of the “mystery of life” in an age increasingly shaped by artificial intelligence.

“That word, mystery, signals something that does not yield to mere calculation, that cannot be reduced to data, that demands of us not only analysis, but reverence,” Benanti said.

The Seoul archdiocese established the Mystery of Life Awards in 2006 to defend the dignity and value of human life and to promote Catholic bioethics in society.

Benanti also warned against the reduction of human beings to mere data.

“AI systems do not know how to see a person. They see patterns. They see correlations. They see behavioral signals and preference vectors,” he said.

Benanti reminded his listeners that “technology is not destiny,” and that the dignity of human life must be the measure by which every technological choice is judged.

Besides his role for the Vatican, Benanti chairs the Italian government’s Commission on Artificial Intelligence for Information.

He is a former member of the United Nations Secretary-General’s High-level Advisory Body on Artificial Intelligence.

Three other prominent personalities were also awarded for their contributions

Professor Won-Suk Chung from the Department of Biological Sciences, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, received an achievement award in Life Sciences for his contributions to research on neurodegenerative diseases.

Professor Sujeong Kim from the College of Nursing of the Catholic University of Korea received an encouragement award in Humanities and Social Sciences for her work on care ethics in medical settings.

The Human Resource Development Foundation from India received an encouragement award in the activity category for its work with Dalit communities and its commitment to human rights and human dignity.

The winners received a plaque in the name of Archbishop Chung, together with prize money of 100 million Won (US$65,720) for the Achievement Awards and 30 million Won for the Encouragement Awards.

Archbishop Chung thanked the winners for their witness to the dignity of life in their fields of expertise.

“Through this award ceremony, I hope the value of life will be more widely shared and that a culture of respect for life will be further rooted in our society,” Chung said.

Prime Minister Kim emphasized that protecting life is “not only a religious concern but also a national and social responsibility.”

“The issues most deeply considered by the current government, and most frequently discussed in Cabinet meetings, are industrial accidents, suicide, and public safety,” Kim said while adding that these “cannot be addressed by systems alone.”

“Unless human dignity and a value system that respects life are firmly rooted, institutions alone cannot solve these problems,” Kim further added.