By Crispian Balmer
ROME, March 15 (Reuters) - Peter Thiel, the U.S. billionaire venture capitalist and early supporter of President Donald Trump, launched on Sunday a series of closed-door lectures in Rome exploring the concept of the Antichrist, drawing 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. Organisers quoted in the media say participants are drawn from academia, technology and religious circles.
A co-founder of Palantir Technologies, an AI software company with deep ties to the U.S. defense and intelligence agencies, Thiel has in recent years devoted increasing attention to religious and philosophical ideas.
Last year he held a similar series of talks in San Francisco exploring the possibility that the Antichrist - a figure who opposes or denies Christ - could emerge on the global stage.
In particular, Thiel has said he is wary that an Antichrist will emerge who will create a one-world government on the promise of something like stopping nuclear, AI or climate-induced disaster.
Thiel, 58, grew up in an Evangelical Christian family and has said Christianity shapes his worldview.
His visit has caught the attention of the Roman Catholic Church, which, under Pope Leo, the first U.S. pontiff, has openly criticised some of Trump's right-wing policies. Leo has also warned of the dangers posed by AI.
Catholic universities in Rome denied press speculation that they might be hosting the event and no meeting is scheduled between Thiel and Leo, according to the pope's official agenda.
'PROLONGED ACT OF HERESY'
Father Paolo Benanti, who advises the pope on artificial intelligence, wrote in an essay published on Saturday that Thiel operated as a "political theologian" within Silicon Valley.
"Thiel's entire action can... be read as a prolonged act of heresy against the liberal consensus: a challenge to the very foundations of civil coexistence, which he now considers outdated," Benanti wrote on Le Grand Continent website.
The piece was headlined: "American heresy: should Peter Thiel be burned at the stake?"
A newspaper owned by the Italian bishops' conference, L'Avvenire, also published a series of articles this past week that were highly critical of Thiel.
One article warned that technology leaders should not be allowed to define their own ethical limits, arguing that governments had to defend democratic oversight of digital platforms and resist the spread of disinformation.
Thiel retains close ties with figures in Washington, including Vice President JD Vance, himself a Catholic convert. Thiel's appearance in Rome follows a string of visits to Italy by prominent figures linked to the U.S. conservative movement, including Steve Bannon, Elon Musk, and Vance himself.
There is no meeting scheduled between Thiel and Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, according to Meloni's agenda.
(Reporting by Crispian BalmerEditing by Gareth Jones)
