Secretive Tech Mogul Peter Thiel Brings His Antichrist Lectures to the Vatican's Doorstep | DW News

Mar 22, 2026 | The American entrepreneur and investor Peter Thiel has travelled to Rome to host a closed-door lecture series on the Antichrist, mixing theology with technology and politics. The event, held near Vatican City, drew criticism from Catholic figures and institutions, many of whom rejected his ideas as extreme. The visit has underscored tensions between his techno-libertarian worldview and the Church’s more cautious stance on AI and global governance. So what's behind Thiel's fascination with the antichrist? With analysis from Fritz Espenlaub, host of the six-part Deutschlandfunk podcast series Die Peter Thiel Story, and Vatican expert Massimo Faggioli from Trinity College Dublin.