
CV NEWS FEED // Catholic apologetics apostolate Catholic Answers released an AI desktop app this week, which featured an AI-generated priest named Fr. Justin who engages in conversations with users to provide answers to questions about Catholicism. After receiving criticism and concern over the character “Fr. Justin,” Catholic Answers announced that the company would be changing the AI character to a lay person.
Catholic Answers initially launched the interactive AI character on April 23. While some Catholics expressed support of it, the launch was notably met with harsh criticism from many Catholics who were concerned over the AI model of evangelization, instead of person-to-person.
Concerns were also expressed over the character being a priest. Online Catholic news site The Pillar reported: “Some said the priest (‘Fr. Justin’) simulated virtual sacraments — indeed, ‘Fr. Justin’ gladly heard The Pillar’s, ‘confession,’ before giving some spiritual guidance and reciting the words of absolution.”
Catholic Answers President Christopher Check announced the change on April 24 through Catholic Answers’ official X account.
“Prevalent among users’ comments is criticism of the representation of the Al character as a priest,” Check stated:
We hear these concerns, and we do not want the character to distract from the important purpose of the application, which is to provide sound answers to questions about the Catholic faith in an innovative way that makes good use of the benefits of “artificial intelligence.”
He continued, “We have therefore decided to create, with all wary speed, a new lay character for the app. We hope to have this Al apologist up within a week or so.”
“Until then, we have rendered ‘Fr. Justin’ just ‘Justin.’ We won’t say he’s been laicized, because he never was a real priest! He’ll be available to visitors to Catholic.com, thousands of whom have already used the app with great profit,” Check explained:
Furthermore, with the help of user input, we will continue to refine and improve the app by identifying any deficiencies (we didn’t anticipate that someone might seek sacramental absolution from a computer graphic!), which we quickly correct.
When the AI character was first announced, Catholic Answers’ IT director Chris Costello said, according to a post on Catholic Answers’ X account: “Our goal with the Father Justin app is to leverage the power of large language models—or ‘LLMs’—to create an engaging and informative experience for those exploring the Catholic faith.”
“Although this is not a substitute for human interaction with a priest, teacher, or spiritual advisor, we believe it can be a valuable tool to help our users better understand and articulate the teachings of the Catholic faith,” he continued.
The announcement post also included Costello’s explanation of the reasons behind using a parish priest as the AI character on the app.
“We wanted to convey the spirit and nature of the responses users can expect—authoritative yet approachable, drawing from the deep well of Catholic tradition and teaching,” he said. “We believe that the presentation of Father Justin honors real-life priests and the role they play in people’s lives, yet we are confident that our users will not mistake the AI for a human being.”

While some X users reacted positively to the new app, some expressed concerns about using AI for evangelization and apologetics.
“I have enough trouble taking advice on parenting from people who aren’t parents or on marriage from people who’ve never married but to take ‘advice’ on deeply human issues from something that has never been nor can never be human? [N]o way,” posted Kristin Collier, MD, a Catholic convert and director of the University of Michigan’s Program on Health, Spirituality, and Religion.
A U.S. Army chaplain, Fr. Mike Palmer, CSC, added that the app should have been a search engine instead of an AI-generated priest.
“Dressing it up as a soulless AI avatar of a priest does absolutely nothing except cause confusion and invite mockery of your otherwise excellent work,” he posted on X.
Others supported the app, calling it a creative way to keep up with changing times and technology.
Catholic Answers also defended the app, but posted that the apostolate understands AI “isn’t everyone’s thing.”
“But as long as it’s around, we might as well put it in the service of the Kingdom,” Catholic Answers said.
