Vatican Rebukes Peter Thiel's Antichrist Lectures in Rome

Peter Thiel delivered his recurring Antichrist lecture series at a private venue near the Vatican in Rome, prompting a sharp rebuke from Paolo Benanti, a papal advisor on AI and tech ethics. Benanti criticized Thiel for weaponizing religious and philosophical concepts—including René Girard's mimetic desire theory and the TESCREAL movement—to justify monopoly, authoritarianism, and the erosion of liberal democracy. The Vatican advisor characterized Thiel's vision as structurally pagan despite its Christian veneer, drawing global media attention to the confrontation.