The ethical implications of the robot priest cannot be understated. Questions such as what ceremonies the robot can legitimately perform, who receives the money that the robot is earning, and issues with privacy are just a few of the major concerns. Starting with the question of authority and legitimacy, a robot is simply a programmed machine that is a result of the ideas, morals, values, and beliefs of the person/people who created it. This is a major ethical concern with the robot priest when considering who is building and programming the robot. If the robot is neither a human priest nor programmed by one, then what authority could it possibly have to perform sacred ceremonies? As stated in an article about the robot priest:
A Roman Catholic priest must be in persona Christi, “in the power and place of the person of Christ himself,” during sacraments, which means he embodies both Jesus and God. That’s the end of the conversation for most who believe this – a robot simply cannot be consecrated. (“The Robot Priest”, 2017)
People of many different religious backgrounds share similar beliefs. On the other hand, the robot could also address some of the current ethical problems already present in the church (more on this when we discuss the advantages of the robot priest).
Another ethical issue that comes to mind with the robot priest is the current role of women in the church. According to Hartford Seminary only about 10% of American congregations have a woman as their ordained leader. Of course there are also churches, such as the catholic church, that do not ordain women at all. This begs the question, “Which will come first–a female priest or a robot priest?” (“The Robot Priest”, 2017). The fact that this question even needs to be asked poses an ethical dilemma. Should we not address social justice and equality amongst human beings in the church before we consider giving machines a place in the church?
The creation of the robot priest has done exactly what the creators intended:
The idea is to provoke debate,’ said Krebs. ‘People from the street are curious, amused and interested. They are really taken with it, and are very positive. But inside the church some people think we want to replace human pastors with machines. Those that are church-oriented are more critical. (Oladokun, 2017)
It will certainly be interesting to see how the church and its members respond to these ethical implications.