In the context of the celebrations marking the Fourth Centenary of the Dedication of Saint Peter’s Basilica (18 November 1626–2026), the Papal Basilica of Saint Peter in the Vatican, through the Fabric of Saint Peter, has announced the introduction of an AI-assisted live translation service that will enable the attendees to follow the celebration of the Holy Mass in 60 languages, using their own smartphones.
This initiative — developed in collaboration with Translated and its advanced translation AI, Lara, with the scientific support of Professor Alexander Waibel — represents the first large scale application of simultaneous AI interpretation within a sacred space at the Vatican, intended to foster attentive participation and deeper understanding among the many peoples who gather at the Tomb of the Apostle.
The service is expected to be implemented during the main celebrations at St. Peter’s Basilica and will be progressively introduced starting next week.
His Eminence Cardinal Mauro Gambetti, O.F.M. Conv., Archpriest of the Papal Basilica of Saint Peter in the Vatican, Vicar General of His Holiness for Vatican City and President of the Fabric of Saint Peter, stated: “Saint Peter’s Basilica has, for centuries, welcomed the faithful from every nation and tongue. In making available a tool that helps many to understand the words of the liturgy, we wish to serve the mission that defines the centre of the Catholic Church, universal by its very vocation. I am very happy with the collaboration with Translated. In this centenary year, we look to the future with prudence and discernment, confident that human ingenuity, when guided by faith, may become an instrument of communion.”
Marco Trombetti, CEO and co-founder of Translated, remarked: “Language enables meaningful encounters. Offering this service within Saint Peter’s Basilica is a concrete way to place artificial intelligence at the service of listening, participation, and understanding. We are honored to contribute, with Lara, to an experience that helps people overcome linguistic barriers and feel truly included in the shared prayer of the Church.”
How the service works
At the entrances and designated points within the Basilica, attendees will be able to scan a QR code to access a dedicated web page providing real-time audio and text translations of the liturgy.
The service functions directly in a web browser, requiring no app download and no special equipment beyond a personal device.
The translation system draws upon Lara’s live interpretation capability, developed by Translated, a global leader in AI-powered language solutions, and Carnegie-AI LLC, a leader in simultaneous interpreting technologies. The implementation builds upon previous participation by Marco Trombetti and Alexander Waibel at the Third World Meeting on Human Fraternity in September 2025, where they joined other prominent AI scientists and leaders from across the world to draft a declaration to uphold key principles and boundaries to guide dialogue on how AI can best serve humanity.
Professor Alexander Waibel, a world-leading pioneer of AI-powered speech translation and scientific adviser to the project, said: “Today, we see the possibility to break language barriers in real time, realized in one of the most meaningful settings imaginable. At the Third World Meeting on Human Fraternity, we recognized mutual human understanding as one of the most significant contributions AI can make to humanity. Bringing live translation to St. Peter’s Basilica is a profound expression of that conviction.”
ABOUT TRANSLATED
Translated is a leading language services provider and pioneer in utilizing artificial intelligence (AI) to assist professional translators. Founded in 1999 by linguist Isabelle Andrieu and computer scientist Marco Trombetti, its mission is to allow everyone to understand and be understood in their own language. Translated’s work is trusted by the some of the largest translation buyers in the world and has been recognized as leading in AI-powered translation technology by IDC Marketscape, CSA Research, and Gartner.
In 2024, Translated launched Lara, a breakthrough translation AI that outperforms leading machine translation and approaches the quality of top-tier professional translators. With Lara, Translated combines the sensitivity of over 500,000 native-speaking professional translators with the speed and capability of machines, making it possible to tackle localization projects once thought unimaginable. Today, Translated delivers fast, consistent, high-quality translations to over 300,000 customers in 200 languages and over 40 subject areas.
