With his first encyclical, Pope Leo XIV enters the AI debate with a clear message: technology must serve all people, not just the most powerful.
“Humanity, created by God in all its grandeur, faces a crucial choice today: either to build a new Tower of Babel, or to build the city in which God and humanity dwell together,” these are the opening sentences of the encyclical ‘Magnifica humanitas’ by Pope Leo XIV. The Pope is referring to artificial intelligence (AI), which forms the core theme of this encyclical. He signed the document on May 15 in the presence of the co-founder of Anthropic.
“Magnificent Humanity”
Pope Leo XIV published his first encyclical on May 15, 2026, titled ‘Magnifica humanitas’, or ‘magnificent humanity’. An encyclical is an official papal letter in which the Pope shares his vision on a particular social theme. This could, for example, concern peace, the environment, or poverty.
The 130-page document contains various guidelines on how the Church views these themes. The encyclical was written to mark the 135th anniversary of Pope Leo XIII’s Rerum Novarum on May 15, the same day the current Pope signed ‘Magnifica humanitas’.
AI takes center stage
The theme of this new encyclical is entirely focused on AI, and that is no coincidence. The Pope has previously spoken about how important he considers the impact of AI on society. That vision is now reflected in the new encyclical, with which he aims to provide an answer to the challenges that AI brings today.
“Disarming AI”
In paragraph 110, the Pope speaks about “disarming AI”. “Disarming AI means freeing it from the mentality of ‘armed’ competition, which today is not limited to the military context, but is also an economic and cognitive phenomenon.”
Disarming, therefore, does not mean that we abolish AI, but that we democratize it: opening it up for discussion, distributing it fairly, and placing it at the service of everyone, not just the strongest players. With this, he seems to be referring to the monopolistic control over AI by tech companies and states.
The Pope compares it to our environment: just as we must protect nature from exploitation, we must also actively protect our digital environment. And for that, regulation alone is not enough in his view; a fundamental change in mentality is needed.
Autonomous weapons
The Pope also expresses his criticism of the use of autonomous weapons systems. “The Holy See has recently noted that the increasing ease with which autonomous weapons systems can be deployed makes war more ‘feasible’ and less subject to human control,” the Pope writes.
Earlier this year, a conflict arose between the US Pentagon and Anthropic regarding ethical usage limits for its AI models. The Pope is critical of the use of AI in warfare.
“For this reason, the development and use of AI in warfare must be subject to the strictest ethical constraints, to ensure respect for human dignity and the sanctity of life, and to prevent a race to develop such weapons.”
Reorientation
With Magnifica humanitas, Pope Leo XIV takes a clear position in a debate that has so far been dominated primarily by tech companies and policymakers. The encyclical adds a moral voice to it. The Pope is not asking for a technological standstill, but for a fundamental reorientation: AI must be at the service of all people, not just the most powerful players.