A Catholic theologian says that gender-neutral robot priests could help tackle the sexual abuse crisis within the church.
The claim comes from Ilia Delio, chair in theology at Villanova University, Pennsylvania. Speaking to Vox, she said: “Take the Catholic Church. It’s very male, very patriarchal, and we have this whole sexual abuse crisis. So would I want a robot priest? Maybe!
“A robot can be gender-neutral. It might be able to transcend some of those divides and be able to enhance community in a way that’s more liberating.”
Delio added that it’s possible that robots and priests could work side-by-side harmoniously.