Yesterday, Pope Leo's first encyclical, 'Magnifica Humanitas' (Magnificent Humanity: On Safeguarding the Human Person in the Time of Artificial Intelligence) was formally presented to the public. Published on May 15, the encyclical deals with the rise of artificial intelligence (AI), and how AI must serve the common good and human dignity.
Pope Leo recognizes that AI will not go away, and instead should be used responsibly.
Humanity, created by God in all its grandeur, is today facing a pivotal choice: either to construct a new Tower of Babel or to build the city in which God and humanity dwell together. In Jesus Christ, this humanity in its grandeur becomes the Way, the Truth and the Life, opening…
— Pope Leo XIV (@Pontifex) May 25, 2026
"Humanity, created by God in all its grandeur, is today facing a pivotal choice: either to construct a new Tower of Babel or to build the city in which God and humanity dwell together. In Jesus Christ, this humanity in its grandeur becomes the Way, the Truth and the Life, opening the path for each of us to grow toward fullness," he wrote on X.
Some said it's a critique of the digital age itself.
My take on Pope Leo’s new AI encyclical, Magnifica Humanitas, is that it’s far more than a religious statement on technology. It is effectively a full civilizational critique of the direction of the AI industry and, increasingly, modern digital society itself.
— Dion Hinchcliffe (@dhinchcliffe) May 26, 2026
At its core, the… https://t.co/W1Gu4DlPGV
Hinchcliffe notes several large points in the encyclical, including the Vatican's direct warning that concentrated AI power inside a small number of hyperscalers and frontier labs represents a major geopolitical and moral risk, that autonomous weapons and machine-accelerated conflict are profoundly dangerous and destabilizing, a challenge of the transhumanist assumptions that intelligence alone can replace core human functions, and the observation that AI systems are never 'neutral,' but instead are encoded with the values and incentives of their creators.
Recommended
Some initial thoughts on Pope Leo XIV’s Encyclical Letter Magnifica humanitas:
— Catholic Sat (@CatholicSat) May 25, 2026
Similar in feel and style to the verbose documents of the Pontificate of Francis, filled with Tucho’s voice, especially on the emphasis on discernment.
The TL;DR is AI is not inherently evil but is…
"The TL;DR is AI is not inherently evil but is never neutral and carries risks of power concentration, inequality, and loss of human dignity. The Church offers principles for discernment rather than blanket rejection," the post notes.
Pope Leo also quoted from J.R.R. Tolkien's 'The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King.'
In his first encyclical, Pope Leo XIV quotes J.R.R. Tolkien's "Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King.”
— Courtney Mares (@catholicourtney) May 25, 2026
“It is not our part to master all the tides of the world, but to do what is in us for the succour of those years wherein we are set, uprooting the evil in the fields that… pic.twitter.com/qPOPwqd1Dk
“It is not our part to master all the tides of the world, but to do what is in us for the succor of those years wherein we are set, uprooting the evil in the fields that we know, so that those who live after may have clean earth to till.”
You can read the entire encyclical here.
This comes as the AI race between the U.S. and China, with President Trump's AI Framework a key to winning that race and preventing the Communist nation from controlling AI going forward.
Editor's Note: Do you enjoy Townhall's conservative reporting that takes on the radical left and woke media? Support our work so that we can continue to bring you the truth.
Join Townhall VIP and use promo code FIGHT to receive 60% off your membership.
Join the conversation as a VIP Member