The first encyclical of Pope Leo XIV, Magnifica Humanitas, signed on May 15, 2026, and published on May 25, 2026, is dedicated to the defense of human dignity in the age of artificial intelligence. This is the first comprehensive document in Church history that fully interprets the challenges of the digital age and artificial intelligence in the light of the Gospel and the Church’s social doctrine. The Holy Father does not treat artificial intelligence merely as another technical phenomenon requiring regulation, but as a profound challenge to human society that calls into question humanity’s self-understanding, dignity, and vocation.
The Pope has taken two biblical images as the basis for the text. The first is the building of the Tower of Babel (cf. Gen 11:1–9): a symbol of pride, uniformity, and the endeavor ‘to make a name for oneself’ without God, which inevitably leads to dispersal and the destruction of communion. The second image in the encyclical is based on the rebuilding of the walls of Jerusalem under the leadership of Nehemiah (cf. Neh 2–6), an image of patient, collaborative, and prayerful work, in which everyone is given their own segment of work, and relationships are restored before the walls. According to the Pope’s thought, modern humanity faces precisely this choice: either to build a new Tower of Babel of technocratic power or to restore a city where God dwells with people.
The Holy Father emphasizes that technology is not neutral; it always bears the imprint of those who create, fund, and apply it. Therefore, the real question is not ‘yes or no’ to technology, but for what and for whom technology exists. The Pope is particularly concerned by the fact that the main driving forces of development today are no longer states, but private international corporations whose capabilities surpass those of many governments. Power has acquired an unprecedented ‘private law’ character, slipping out of societal control.
Reflecting on artificial intelligence, Pope Leo XIV decisively warns against identifying it with human reason. Artificial intelligence can imitate speech, perform analysis, and even empathize, but it lacks a body, the experience of love and suffering, a conscience, and the ability to distinguish between good and evil. It does not “learn” anything in the human sense through choices, mistakes, forgiveness, or faithfulness, but merely adapts to data in a statistical sense. Therefore, entrusting decisions concerning human destinies—employment, loans, access to services, reputation, and even more so, life and death in war—to algorithms means a loss of responsibility, compassion, and mercy, which cannot be simulated in any way. And he sees this as a serious challenge facing human society.
The encyclical pays special attention to the hidden anthropology that underlies transhumanist and posthumanist currents. These ideologies promise an “enhanced human” free from limitations, suffering, and death. The Pope responds that human greatness is not revealed despite limitations, but often precisely through compassion, care, the experience of fragility, and the acceptance of one’s own finitude. The true “more than human” is revealed not in technological self-divinization, but in the grace of Christ: “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation” (2 Cor 5:17).
The encyclical separately dwells on several specific areas. Firstly, on truth as a common good. In an era of algorithmic disinformation, deepfakes, and polarizing narratives, society’s ability to distinguish truth from falsehood—a capacity without which neither democracy nor true freedom of conscience is possible—erodes. The Pope calls for a so-called ‘ecology of communication’ and a serious educational alliance between family, school, and the Church community. According to the Holy Father, education has a very important role, both today and in the future, in distinguishing truth from counterfeits and falsehoods.
The Holy Father expresses great concern regarding the situation of children and adolescents who enter the digital environment early and unsupervised: the spread of pornography, cyberbullying, the exploitation of minors are just a few keywords that manifest in today’s digital age. Here, responsibility lies with both the family and legislative bodies in society.
A second area highlighted by the Pope is the dignity of human labor. Automation and artificial intelligence are often presented as a benefit, but in reality, they often diminish the value of the worker, subject them to the rhythm of machines, and lead to new forms of mass unemployment and inequality. The Pope recalls that the human person is an end, not a means, and that access to dignified work must remain a priority of economic policy.
With prophetic directness, the encyclical speaks of new forms of slavery, hidden behind the luster of the digital economy: millions of people, mainly women and young people in poor countries, where, for example, children mine rare earth metals in dangerous conditions for microprocessors, and criminal networks use digital platforms for human trafficking. There also exists “data colonialism” – the appropriation of data, especially medical and genetic data, from entire populations. In the name of the Church, the Pope asks for forgiveness for the historical delay in condemning slavery and calls for this error not to be repeated today.
The most concerning part of the document is the reflection on war. The Holy Father directly declares that the theory of a ‘just war’ is outdated today and is too often used to justify any violence. The use of artificial intelligence in autonomous weapon systems strips war of its human face, transforms victims into so-called data, and lowers the threshold for the use of force. The Pope warns against a culture of power, the normalization of war, the crisis of multilateral institutions, and a deceptive political realism that declares war inevitable. True realism, however, lies in all of us working together for peace. We must pay attention to dialogue and diplomacy.
Finally, the Holy Father Leo XIV calls for Eucharistic spirituality, the formation of conscience, and the patient work of ‘builders’ in the spirit of Nehemiah. The Blessed Virgin Mary becomes the example and companion on this path, in whose Magnificat God ‘has brought down the powerful from their thrones, and lifted up the lowly; he has filled the hungry with good things, and sent the rich away empty’ (cf. Lk 1:52–53). It is precisely in this hidden work of God — and not in technological prowess — that the true hope for the era of artificial intelligence lies. With the same faith as Mary, let us become ‘weavers of hope’ in our world, sharing who we are and what we have, so that the presence of Jesus may grow among us and His kingdom take shape. In the humble faithfulness of daily life, even the era of artificial intelligence can become a time when the Holy Spirit brings the civilization of love into our lives. Indeed, the Lord continues to make all things new and offers every age the opportunity to become part of the history of salvation in the light of the Incarnation.