One of the Church’s foremost experts on Catholic Social Thought and its importance in the age of artificial intelligence will be in Australia to deliver a series of public lectures in October, one of which will be in Parramatta.
Kim Daniels, the director of the Initiative on Catholic Social Thought and Public Life at Georgetown University, in the US, and an adjunct professor in its Department of Theology and Religious Studies, will be giving the Bishop Vincent Presents Series lecture at the Cloister Hall of St Patrick’s Cathedral, Parramatta, on 13 October at 6pm, on the topic “AI, Pope Leo and the future of human dignity”.
These talks are hosted by Bishop Vincent Long OFM Conv and the Diocese of Parramatta to highlight voices and ideas that are helping to shape the future of the Church. Ms Daniels will also deliver the Helda Camara lecture at Newman College, in Melbourne, on 15 October.
A lawyer by training, Ms Daniels served for 10 years as a member of the Vatican Dicastery for Communication until 2026, and during the Synod on Synodality from 2021-2024 was an expert participant and coordinator of the study group that focused on the Church’s mission in the digital age.
She has also served as spokesperson for the US Conference of Catholic Bishops and a consultor to its Committee for Religious Liberty.
She has practiced as a lawyer with a particular focus on religious liberty and healthcare, advocating for the rights of healthcare workers to have “conscious protections”.
She writes widely and is a public speaker and commentator on how the Church’s teachings intersect with public life, on issues such as immigration and women’s leadership in the Church. But her particular focus is the importance of Catholic Social Thought in the digital age, especially the development of AI.
This expertise has been especially sought after since the publication of Pope Leo XIV’s encyclical “Magnifica Humanitas”, in May 2026. This encyclical, she says, “provides not just a diagnosis of what’s at stake, but guiding principles that meet the urgency of our moment”.
This event is free to attend, register now on parracatholic.org.
