The following is the Message of the Holy Father Leo XIV – signed by Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin – on the occasion of the International Day of Mathematics

Message

Professor Betül Tanbay

Chair of the International Day of Mathematics

His Holiness Pope Leo XIV was pleased to receive your thoughtful letter informing him of the International Day of Mathematics webinar to take place on 13 March 2026. He is grateful for the gracious sentiments you expressed, and he sends cordial good wishes to all taking part.

As they reflect on the theme “Mathematics and Hope” in the context of the manifold challenges facing the human family, not least the rapid technological development with all its potential for good or evil, His Holiness encourages the participants to consider how mathematicians can be hopeful signs to the wider world. In this regard, an especially fruitful area of research is the use of algorithms, particularly in the field of artificial intelligence. Such a task requires not just intellectual effort and ingenuity but an integral growth of the whole person, in order to encompass the moral dimension of these emerging technologies. Indeed, recalling his own time as a teacher of mathematics and physics, Pope Leo XIV reminded the students gathered for the Jubilee of the World of Education: “Having a great deal of knowledge is not enough if we do not know who we are or what the meaning of life is” (Address, 30 October 2025). He prays, therefore, that everyone involved in the present event will be attentive to the profound spiritual needs of the human heart, will seek ways of humanizing the digital sphere, shaping it as an opportunity for fraternity and creativity, and will be prophets of hope, truth and goodness in the world (cf. ibid.).

Upon those participating in this year’s International Day, the Holy Father invokes abundant divine blessings of wisdom, joy and peace.

Cardinal Pietro Parolin

Secretary of State