Pope Leo XIV Releases First Encyclical: ‘Magnifica Humanitas’ on AI and Human Dignity
Contents
May 25, 2026
Pope Leo XIV — the first American-born pope in history — has released his first encyclical, Magnifica Humanitas (“Humanity in its Grandeur”), addressing the challenge of artificial intelligence and the protection of human dignity in the digital age.
Signed on May 15, 2026, the 135th anniversary of Pope Leo XIII’s landmark social encyclical Rerum Novarum, the document calls on Catholics and all people of goodwill to ensure that technological progress serves human flourishing rather than undermining it.
What the Encyclical Says
The Core Choice: Pope Leo XIV presents humanity with a fundamental decision — to build a “new Tower of Babel” where technology dominates and dehumanizes, or to follow the “way of Nehemiah” by rebuilding society through shared responsibility, communion, and care for the vulnerable.
Key Themes:
- AI is not neutral — it reflects the values of those who create and control it
- “Disarming” AI — freeing technology from monopolistic control and competitive domination
- Protecting work — ensuring automation serves workers rather than replacing human dignity with efficiency
- Truth as a common good — defending facts against algorithmic manipulation and disinformation
- New forms of slavery — exposing exploitation in AI supply chains, from data workers to child miners
- War and weapons — rejecting autonomous weapons systems and declaring the “just war” theory outdated
- A civilization of love — building peace through justice, dialogue, and solidarity
In a historic moment, Pope Leo XIV — whose own family history includes both enslaved people and slave owners — apologized for the Church’s past complicity in slavery and called for firm action against modern trafficking.
Why It Matters
The encyclical speaks directly to Catholics worldwide, from Africa and Asia where AI’s harms are most severe, to Europe and North America where transhumanist ideologies gain traction. It insists that no technological system can ever replace the human capacity for love, conscience, and relationship.
Read the full encyclical here:
Download Magnifica Humanitas (PDF)
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