05/27/2026
Wednesday, May 27, 2026
Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,
Hello and happy Wednesday! I hope everyone had a blessed Memorial Day weekend!
The Vatican News reports that “Pope Leo XIV presents ‘Magnifica Humanitas’ as the Church’s response to the challenges posed by artificial intelligence, calling for AI to be ‘disarmed’ from logics of domination, exclusion and war. Drawing parallels with Rerum Novarum, the Pope urges the global community to place technological progress at the service of human dignity, solidarity and the common good.
“At the presentation of his first social encyclical, Magnifica Humanitas, Pope Leo XIV appealed for artificial intelligence to be placed firmly at the service of humanity, warning against technologies that foster domination, exclusion and war.
Addressing participants gathered in the Synod Hall on Monday for the presentation of the encyclical, the Pope described the current technological revolution as an ‘epochal turning point’ comparable to the upheaval confronted by Pope Leo XIII during the Industrial Revolution. ‘Artificial intelligence already touches many areas of our lives and affects decisions that shape human coexistence’, he said, noting that it is also ‘dramatically changing how war is waged.’
“Drawing a direct parallel with Pope Leo XIII’s landmark 1891 encyclical Rerum Novarum, Pope Leo XIV said the Church today is likewise called to interpret the ‘new things’ of the age in the light of the Gospel and the dignity of the human person.
He explained that Magnifica Humanitas emerged from extensive listening to scientists, engineers, educators, political leaders and families concerned about the future of younger generations. At the same time, he said he had heard ‘very troubling voices’ regarding autonomous weapons systems and algorithms capable of denying access to healthcare, employment or security based on unjust and prejudiced data.
“From that process of discernment, the Pope said, came a conviction expressed clearly in the encyclical: ‘artificial intelligence needs to be disarmed.’ Acknowledging the forcefulness of the phrase, Pope Leo XIV said the gravity of the present moment requires words capable of ‘awakening consciences and indicating paths forward for humanity.’
“Recalling the Church’s longstanding support for nuclear disarmament, the Pope said every great technological power must be accompanied by moral discernment and public accountability. In a similar sense, artificial intelligence now demands to be ‘disarmed,’ freed from logics that turn it into an instrument of domination, exclusion or death,” he said.
“Quoting Saint Paul’s exhortation to ‘keep awake’ (1 Thess 5:6), the Holy Father warned that peace itself is endangered whenever technology weakens humanity’s critical sense and moral vigilance. Yet the Pope stressed that the task before humanity is not merely to restrain dangerous technologies, but also to build a more just future together.”
There is more in his encyclical! It’s worth reading!
I hope you have a blessed day! Take care!
Peace,
Fr. Paul
