Palantir co-founder Peter Thiel has arrived in Rome to deliver a four-part lecture series on the Antichrist, according to reports. The lectures come as Pope Leo XIV has publicly called for AI guardrails and ethical constraints on technology, a position directly at odds with Thiel’s worldview.
The series, which began Sunday and continues through Wednesday, is invitation-only, held at undisclosed locations, and strictly forbids recording devices.
Initial reports suggested the lectures were scheduled to take place at the Pontifical St. Thomas Aquinas University, known as the Angelicum, the alma mater of Robert Prevost, now Pope Leo XIV. The university quickly distanced itself: “We would like to clarify that this event is not organized by the University, will not take place at the Angelicum, and is not part of any of our institutional initiatives,” it said in a statement on its website.
According to an announcement seen by The Associated Press, the lectures were “jointly organized” by the Vincenzo Gioberti Cultural Association, an Italian group, and the Cluny Institute at the Catholic University of America in Washington.
The Gioberti association confirmed its participation. The group said it promotes research and encounters “based on the great tradition of classical and Christian thought.”
However, the Catholic University of America denied any involvement: “The Catholic University of America is not sponsoring or hosting an event featuring Peter Thiel this month in Rome,” a university spokesperson told AP.
Thiel, who grew up in an evangelical Christian household, previously delivered a similar set of talks in San Francisco last September, which again took place behind closed doors.
According to The Guardian, which obtained excerpts of his previous lectures, Thiel told his audience that the End of Days could be brought about by an Antichrist figure who encourages fear of existential threats, citing climate change, AI, and nuclear warfare as examples.
“He would use the ensuing paranoia to justify a push toward a one-world state and the enforced stagnation of scientific progress and technological advances,” Thiel argued, warning that such forces are already underway.
The Guardian, which described his earlier lecture series as “diffuse, meandering and often confusing,” reported that Thiel also warned against Pope Leo as a “woke American pope” and criticized anti-science “Luddites” such as the climate activist Greta Thunberg.
Thiel’s presence in Rome has prompted questions from lawmakers about potential meetings with Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s government and whether public institutions have contractual relationships with Palantir.
The company, which has developed software for U.S. government agencies, including Immigration and Customs Enforcement, has also expanded its presence across Europe, with Italian authorities already using Palantir products for defense and investigative purposes.
Thiel’s visit to Rome comes after a series of trips to Italy by prominent figures from U.S. conservative circles, including Steve Bannon, Elon Musk, and Vice President JD Vance.
