On 13 February 2026, on the occasion of World Radio Day (WRD), Radio Vaticana – Vatican News has organized a special initiative in seven languages with seven radio programs that will become themed podcasts dedicated to the future of radio, public service, innovation, and the relationship between media, society, and artificial intelligence.
The initiative comes the day after the 95th birthday of the Radio of the Popes: 12 February 2026. Founded in 1931 at the behest of Pope Pius XI and created by the father of radio, Guglielmo Marconi, the Pope’s broadcaster is one of the oldest in the world, born to connect the Holy See with every part of the planet and to speak to diverse peoples, cultures, and languages.
At the heart of the programs will be the theme chosen for WRD 2026: “AI is a tool, not a voice”. The statement will be a starting point for reflection and dialogue, including meditation on the Pope’s Message for the World Day of Social Communications 2026, which recalls the value of human responsibility, discernment, and the authentic voice in communication in the age of artificial intelligence.
The seven programs will bring together international experts, broadcasting executives, scholars, innovators, and professionals from the radio and media sector, called to reflect on how radio, a profoundly human medium, made up of voice, relationship, and closeness, can inhabit the era of AI without losing its identity.
English-language program
• Fr Felmar Castrodes Fiel, SVD,General Manager of Radio Veritas Asia
• Chuol Jany, Chief Editor of Catholic Radio Network, South Sudan
• Fr Toby Lees OP, Director of Radio Maria England
French-language program
• Baptiste Detombe, author of the book “L’homme démantelé”
• Father Ernest Kouadio, PhD in social communication, specialist in the relationship between the Church and Artificial Intelligence
• Florent Latrive, Head of Digital Strategy at Radio France
German-language program
• Gregor Schmalzried, AI-Expert, Journalist and Podcaster, ARD (Germany)
• Stefan Kollinger, Chief Innovation Officer, ORF (Austria)
• Philip Meyer, Editorial Board, SRF (Switzerland)
Spanish-language program
• Noel Diaz, Director of the Radio ESNE network (USA and Central America)
• Fray Miguel Gullon, President of the Latin American Association for Education and Popular Communication
• Eva Fernández, correspondent of Radio COPE Spain
Italian-language program
• Andrea Borgnino, Head of Editorial Content, RaiPlay Sound
• Ivana Faccioli, Director of RTL 102.5 News
• Massimiliano Menichetti, Deputy Editorial Director Responsible for Radio Vaticana – Vatican News
• Alessandro Gisotti, President of the Radio and Audio News Group of the EBU
Portuguese-language program
• Father José Inácio de Medeiros, CSsR, former General Director of Rádio Aparecida
• Fernando Geronazzo, Communications Councillor of the Archdiocese of São Paulo and of Cardinal Odilo Scherer
• Father Danilo Pinto dos Santos, Archdiocese of Salvador
• Director of Rádio Excelsior da Bahia (Fundação Dom Avelar Brandão Vilela)
Polish-language program
• Patrycja Michońska, Director of Radio Plus (Eurozet)
• Father Mariusz Wedziuk, Director of the Forum of Independent Catholic Radios
• Mirosław Kasprzak, Head of Radio Lublin
• Krzysztof Kiryczuk, Radio Zet
The programs will bring experiences from Europe, Africa, Latin America and Asia, into dialogue, showing how radio continues to be an irreplaceable tool of closeness, education, evangelization, public service, and innovation.
Ninety-five years after its birth, the Popes’ Radio, built by Marconi, thus continues in its original vocation: to unite the world through the radio, today including podcasts and new digital platforms. In the age of artificial intelligence, radio reminds the world that technology can undoubtedly be a tool, but the voice always remains human.
This article was originally published on Vatican News. All copyrights reserved to the Dicastery for Communication – Vatican News. Unauthorized republication by third parties is not permitted.
