Pope Leo XIV published his first encyclical: what is it about?
фото: Reuters
Pope Leo XIV has issued his first encyclical, “Magnifica humanitas,” on artificial intelligence and its impact on society. In the document, the pontiff called for limiting the dominance of technology, not using AI in wars, and preventing the monopolization of digital resources.
This is reported by Bloomberg and Politico .
The encyclical “Magnifica humanitas” was the first major statement by the new head of the Catholic Church after his election in May 2025. In the document, the Pope expressed concern about the development of artificial intelligence and its application in the military, financial systems, and automated decision-making.
“Disarmament does not mean rejecting technology, but preventing its domination over humanity,” declared Pope Leo XIV.
The pontiff emphasized that technological advantage should not automatically translate into political or economic dominance.
“No algorithm can make war morally acceptable,” the Pope said.
The Vatican believes that artificial intelligence does not eliminate the inhumanity of war, but can make conflicts more impersonal and accelerate their onset.
The encyclical focused on the concentration of control over digital technologies in the hands of large corporations. The Pope stated that algorithms, patents, digital platforms, and data should be considered as socially significant resources.
The document also draws parallels between modern technological transformation and the first industrial revolution of the 19th century. The encyclical was inspired by Pope Leo XIII, who criticized the social consequences of industrialization.
According to Catholic analyst Thomas Reese, the Vatican seeks to prevent a situation where the development of artificial intelligence is determined solely by the interests of large technology companies and billionaires.
Ahead of the encyclical’s release, representatives from Meta, Google, and Amazon met with Vatican officials in Rome to discuss child protection in the age of artificial intelligence and the Catholic Church’s position on technology.
Journalists noted that technology companies have been organizing meetings and events in Rome, trying to influence the Vatican’s future stance on artificial intelligence.
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