Original scientific paper
Media Disinformation and Misinformation on Religion and the Challenges of Artificial Intelligence
Suzana Peran
orcid.org/0000-0001-6208-8077
; Hrvatsko katoličko sveučilište, Zagreb, Hrvatska
*
* Corresponding author.
Abstract
The aim of this paper is to reflect on disinformation related to religious topics in
media. Using the method of content analysis, Church documents are examined, as
well as statements by Pope Francis and Pope Leo XIV on the phenomenon of disinformation.
The paper also presents cases in which the two heads of the Church
were victims of disinformation or misinformation, and explores the reasons for the
spread of disinformation and misinformation about religion in the public sphere.
The results of research conducted within the project Critical Analysis of Disinformation
on Religious Topics (KAT) of the Catholic University of Croatia and its
partners are also discussed. The project findings indicate, and that respondents most
frequently encounter inaccurate content on religious topics on social media platforms.
Special attention is given to the relationship between artificial intelligence
tools and the spread of disinformation, drawing on the Note on the Relationship
between Artificial and Human Intelligence (Antiqua et Nova). In discussing the role
of journalists — particularly those working in Catholic media — in countering all
forms of disinformation, the paper also highlights the responsibility of media content
users. In conclusion, the importance of initiatives promoting media and religious
literacy in combating disinformation is emphasized, not only at the level of schools
and universities, but also within parishes and religious communities, and through
cooperation with the media.
Keywords
artificial intelligence; disinformation; misinformation; media literacy; religious literacy
Hrčak ID:
347271
URI
Publication date:
1.7.2026.
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