Thiel's Secretive Rome Conference Draws Church Attention Peter Thiel, the U.S. billionaire venture capitalist and early supporter of President Donald Trump, has held a series of closed-door lectures in Rome exploring the concept of the Antichrist, prompting scrutiny from Catholic commentators. The invitation-only conference, which runs until Wednesday, is not open to the press, and its venue has not been publicly disclosed. Organizers, as reported in the media, indicate that participants are drawn from academia, technology, and religious circles. Thiel, a co-founder of Palantir Technologies, an AI software company with strong ties to U.S. defense and intelligence agencies, has increasingly focused on religious and philosophical ideas in recent years. Last year, he hosted a similar series of talks in San Francisco, discussing the possibility of an Antichrist emerging on the global stage. Thiel has expressed concerns that such a figure could establish a one-world government under the guise of addressing global crises like nuclear threats, AI development, or climate disasters. Thiel, 58, grew up in an Evangelical Christian family and has stated that Christianity shapes his worldview. His visit to Rome has drawn attention from the Roman Catholic Church, which, under Pope Leo, the first U.S. pontiff, has openly criticized some of Trump’s right-wing policies. Pope Leo has also warned about the dangers posed by AI. Catholic universities in Rome have denied press speculation that they might be hosting the event, and no meeting is scheduled between Thiel and Pope Leo, according to the pope’s official agenda. Catholic commentators have criticized Thiel’s views.#peter_thiel #pope_leo #roman_catholic_church #palantir_technologies #jd_vance
