Vietnamese Church Assembles 120 Youth Directors from 23 Dioceses to Tackle AI Pastoral Shifts

Facing a notable decline in parish youth engagement across the country, the Catholic Church in Vietnam gathered 120 diocesan youth directors, bishops, religious leaders, and lay representatives from 23 dioceses at the Bishop's House of Nha Trang Diocese in Central Vietnam to forge concrete pastoral solutions for the artificial intelligence (AI) era.

The national assembly, themed "Walking to Emmaus with the Youth," convened on October 28–29, 2026. Organized by the Committee for Youth and Children of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Vietnam, the two-day gathering mobilized delegates from across the nation’s three ecclesiastical provinces, Hanoi, Hue, and Saigon.

Primary discussions centered on equipping youth leaders to navigate the rapid shifts brought by generative AI and pervasive social media, ensuring young Catholics maintain authentic human relationships and spiritual discernment in virtual environments.

Opening the thematic sessions, Bishop Peter Nguyen Van Vien, Chairman of the Committee for Youth and Children, highlighted that young people possess a natural drive to self-organize, requiring Church leaders to shift from rigid instruction to active listening.

"Young people have the ability to gather together, so they have the capacity to self-organize and self-operate according to their own needs and desires," Bishop Nguyen emphasized. "The Church only needs to accompany and listen so that they feel they belong. We must help young people develop a sense of belonging to the Church and help them delve deeply into Sacred Scripture, because the Word of God surpasses all other words."

Presentations by lay experts Teresa Pham Thi Thuy Van and Alphonsus Pham Vu Xuan Bang explored safeguarding human dignity amid AI automation, promoting critical thinking within digital ecosystems, and applying moral discernment to emerging technologies.

Regional directors voiced urgent concerns over shifting youth demographics in Southeast Asia. Fr. Joseph Nguyen Huu Tam, youth ministry director for Central Vietnam, noted that the focus on AI and virtual media comes at a critical time for parish life.

"We have many concerns in youth ministry today, especially when seeing the number of young people participating in activities declining in many places," Fr. Nguyen said, adding that equipping leaders with practical knowledge on AI impacts is vital for local pastoral renewal.

Fr. Peter Doan Van Khai, youth ministry director for Northern Vietnam, reiterated that accompanying youth requires leading them directly into a personal encounter with Christ so they can "joyfully go forth to proclaim the Good News."

“As a young person, I also hope not to remain merely an observer or passive recipient, but to contribute to this journey through sincerity, a willingness to learn, and a sense of responsibility toward my community,” said Teresa Nguyen Thi Quynh Phuong, a young person from the Diocese of Vinh.

Beyond intellectual sessions, the Saigon Youth Ministry coordinated dynamic team-building workshops titled "Your Turn!" to strengthen inter-diocesan networks, while Handmaids of the Sacred Heart of Jesus (ACI) religious led creative prayer reflections focused on spiritual grounding.

As the national seminar concluded at the Bishop's House in Nha Trang, leaders outlined strategic preparations for World Youth Day (WYD) 2027 in Seoul, South Korea, committing to integrate AI ethics, media literacy, and scripture-centered mentorship into local youth ministry frameworks nationwide.