The Vatican

Pope Leo XIV will ask the world’s cardinals to discuss war, peace and the future of the Synod on Synodality at an Extraordinary Consistory on 26 and 27 June. The agenda includes the international situation and Magnifica Humanitas, but makes no provision for discussion of the liturgy Pope Leo has decided not to include the liturgy in the agenda for the upcoming June consistory. The pontiff will instead ask the world’s cardinals to discuss war, peace and the future of the Synod on Synodality when they gather in Rome later this month for an Extraordinary Consistory. Details of the agenda emerged after a letter sent to cardinals by Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, Dean of the College of Cardinals, was published by the Italian blog Messa in Latino. According to Diane Montagna, the meeting, which will take place on 26 and 27 June, will focus on the international situation, Pope Leo’s encyclical Magnifica Humanitas and the implementation of the Synod on Synodality. Cardinal Re said the gathering was intended to provide “a space for mutual listening, discernment, and shared reflection on certain matters of importance for the life and mission of the Church at the present time”. He wrote that Pope Leo wished “to draw upon the experience and counsel of the members of the College of Cardinals” and to count on “the active assistance and support of each one in the various places and responsibilities in which he serves the Church”. The first session will be dedicated to the situation facing the Church and the world. Cardinals will be invited to reflect on “what sufferings, tensions, and questions are today affecting with greatest force the peoples and ecclesial communities entrusted to your care” and to identify “signs of hope, fidelity to the Gospel and possible reconciliation” that should be brought before the College and the Pope. Two sessions will then be devoted to Magnifica Humanitas , Pope Leo’s first encyclical. One discussion will centre on Chapter Five of the document, titled The Culture of Power and the Civilisation of Love , with particular attention given to questions of war and peace. Cardinal Re noted that the encyclical teaches that “peace is not simply one issue among others, but a prerequisite for the universal common good and a test of the moral maturity of peoples”. The cardinals will be asked to consider how best to reaffirm the encyclical’s assertion “that the ‘just war’ theory, which has all too often been used to justify any kind of war, is now outdated”, and to discuss “what concrete paths might help peoples and Christian communities to safeguard and build peace”. A further session will examine the encyclical’s call to interpret contemporary social and cultural changes in the light of the Gospel and to direct the search for happiness and fulfilment towards what the document describes as integral human development. The final working session will focus on the next stage of the Synod on Synodality, the worldwide consultation process launched under Pope Francis. Cardinals will receive an update on preparations for the assemblies planned for 2027 and 2028 following the publication of the document Toward the Assemblies 2027–2028: Stages, Criteria, and Tools for Preparation . The update will be followed by a period of open discussion with Pope Leo. According to Cardinal Re’s letter, interventions from members of the College will be limited to three minutes each. The consistory will conclude on 29 June, the Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul, when Pope Leo celebrates Mass in St Peter’s Basilica and imposes the pallium on newly appointed metropolitan archbishops.

Maria Montserrat Alvarado, president and chief operating officer of EWTN News, has been appointed Prefect of the Dicastery for Communication by Pope Leo XIV, becoming the first lay woman to head a department of the Roman Curia. She will take up the role on 1 November, succeeding Paolo Ruffini Pope Leo XIV has appointed Maria Montserrat Alvarado, president and chief operating officer of EWTN News, as Prefect of the Dicastery for Communication, making her the first lay woman to head a department of the Roman Curia. The Vatican announced that the Mexican-born media executive will assume office on 1 November, succeeding Paolo Ruffini, who was himself a trailblazer when he became the first lay prefect of a Vatican dicastery in 2018. Dr Alvarado has led EWTN News since 2023, overseeing the Catholic broadcaster’s global news operations across television, radio, print and digital media in seven languages. Prior to joining EWTN, she spent 14 years in senior roles at the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, the Washington-based legal organisation known for defending religious freedom cases before courts in the United States and internationally. Her appointment places one of the most prominent figures in Catholic media at the head of the Holy See’s vast communications apparatus, which includes Vatican News, Vatican Radio, Vatican Media, L’Osservatore Romano, the Holy See Press Office and the Vatican publishing house. The decision also marks a significant milestone in the increasing involvement of lay people, and particularly women, in senior Vatican leadership positions. In a statement released following the announcement and provided to EWTN, Alvarado said she had received the news “with deep gratitude, humility, and trust in the Lord”. She added that her years working alongside colleagues at EWTN had strengthened her faith and prepared her for the new responsibility entrusted to her by the Pope. Michael Warsaw, chairman and chief executive of EWTN, praised her leadership and described her as having helped shape the network’s international outreach during a period of rapid expansion into digital media. “Montse’s background in international media, public affairs, and Church engagement has helped shape EWTN’s outreach at a critical moment in the history of our apostolate: the pivot into a deeper engagement with the digital space,” he said. “Just as importantly, she has remained deeply committed to the mission that defines EWTN: proclaiming the truth of Jesus Christ and the teachings of His Church with clarity, fidelity, and charity.” Ruffini, who will work alongside his successor during the transition period, said he had come to know Alvarado over recent years and looked forward to assisting her in the months ahead “in the spirit of communion that unites us in the Church”. The Dicastery for Communication was created by Pope Francis in 2015 as part of his wider reform of the Roman Curia. The restructuring merged a collection of previously separate Vatican media institutions into a single department intended to coordinate the Church’s global communications strategy and modernise its engagement with contemporary media. While women religious have held influential offices within the Roman Curia, Alvarado becomes the first woman who is neither a nun nor a member of a religious order to be appointed prefect of a dicastery. Born in Mexico City, she studied at Florida International University and George Washington University before building a career focused on public policy, religious liberty and Catholic communications. Her writings and commentary have appeared across a range of international media outlets, and she has received recognition for her work promoting religious freedom. The appointment places her among the most senior lay officials in the Vatican and gives her responsibility for shaping how the Holy See communicates with more than 1.4 billion Catholics around the world. Although Ruffini had been expected to leave office later this year at the conclusion of his mandate, Pope Leo has effectively brought forward that transition by naming his successor several months in advance, allowing for an extended handover before Alvarado formally takes up the post on 1 November.

Retired Archbishop Vincenzo Paglia has said Pope Francis believed Humanae Vitae required “necessary updates” to address modern questions surrounding sexuality Retired Archbishop Vincenzo Paglia has said Pope Francis believed Humanae Vitae required “necessary updates” to address modern questions surrounding sexuality. Archbishop Paglia, the former president and grand chancellor of the Pontifical Academy for Life, said in a lengthy interview published by the Italian website Settimana News that the late pontiff had personally asked him to prepare a text ahead of the 50th anniversary of Pope Paul VI’s 1968 encyclical banning artificial contraception. “Pope Francis felt the need to adapt the doctrine to the new times,” Archbishop Paglia said. “He asked me to prepare a text that would highlight its prophecy, while also highlighting some necessary updates.” “I prepared a text for him, drafted with the collaboration of a group of theologians,” the archbishop said. “He greatly appreciated it, asking me to continue the research, which resulted in subsequent texts.” The archbishop made the remarks while reflecting on the Synods on the Family held in 2014 and 2015, which discussed homosexuality, Communion for divorced and remarried Catholics, and what he called “irregular situations”. “The themes of the two synodal assemblies are well known,” Archbishop Paglia said. “The topic of homosexuality, then questions relating to marriage and ‘irregular’ situations, and the topic of the Eucharist for divorced and remarried people.” Archbishop Paglia also defended the reforms made under Francis to the Pontifical John Paul II Institute for Marriage and Family Sciences, which was restructured in 2019 following the promulgation of new statutes by the Vatican. The archbishop said the old institute had been based on “a static and immutable vision of natural law” and an “essentialist and ahistorical paradigm”. “The situation of the John Paul II Institute presented even greater challenges,” he said. “It was an institution strongly focused on marital morality.” Archbishop Paglia said Pope Francis asked him to reorganise both the John Paul II Institute and the Pontifical Academy for Life because “both of these institutions of the Holy See needed to be rethought”. According to Archbishop Paglia, the institutions had become centres of resistance to the direction set by Francis after the publication of Amoris Laetitia in 2016. “The Pontifical Academy and the JPII Institute had thus become, so to speak, loci of pronounced doctrinal resistance to papal teaching,” he said. The archbishop went further, saying: “The task entrusted to me was, therefore, to restore the ability of these two institutions to listen to the living magisterium, so that they might accompany the reform the Pope desired.” The reforms at the John Paul II Institute led to the removal of several professors associated with the theological vision of Pope St John Paul II, who established the institute in 1981 following the Synod on the Family. Archbishop Paglia acknowledged the scale of the changes. “Opponents understood correctly: a very profound reform was at stake,” he said. Throughout the interview, Archbishop Paglia repeatedly criticised what he described as “moralistic” approaches to Catholic theology. “At the time, both institutions were characterised by a strongly moralistic emphasis,” he said. “Pope Francis disliked what he called ‘armchair theology’, abstract and disconnected from pastoral care.” He also criticised the language of “non-negotiable values”, saying it carried “a strong moralistic connotation”. “Reducing such a delicate and complex subject to the application of a doctrinal algorithm of morality and discipline imposes a vision of human reality alien to the actual forms of consciousness and the real conditions of experience,” he said. Archbishop Paglia also spoke about broadening the membership of the Pontifical Academy for Life to include economists, engineers, experts in robotics and artificial intelligence, as well as non-Catholics and non-believers. “Until then, the academics had been exclusively Catholic ethicists and moral theologians,” Archbishop Paglia said. “We also included members from other Christian and religious traditions, as well as non-religious professionals and thinkers.” The archbishop also said the academy sought to widen discussion of life issues beyond abortion and euthanasia. “It was a matter of understanding [life] in all its richness,” he said, “not only in its biological and chronological dimension, from the beginning to the end of existence”. He recalled tensions with American pro-life groups after proposing a conference linking opposition to abortion with gun control. “I envisioned a conference that would simultaneously oppose abortion and address gun control in schools,” he said. “Well, the proposal was rejected.” Archbishop Paglia also referred to the publication in 2024 of The Joy of Life: A Journey of Theological Ethics , which he described as “the most mature fruit of this journey of reflection”. “It also included reflection on the updating of Humanae Vitae ,” Archbishop Paglia said. The reforms to the John Paul II Institute and the Pontifical Academy for Life were among the most controversial of Archbishop Paglia’s tenure. The archbishop, however, insisted they reflected Francis’s desire for “a theology capable of penetrating the depths of culture, history, and people’s lives”. During his presidency, he was also criticised for comments which appeared to give tacit support to assisted suicide. Speaking at the Perugia Journalism Festival in 2023, the archbishop said: “Personally, I would not practise assisted suicide, but I understand that legal mediation can constitute the greatest common good concretely possible in the conditions in which we find ourselves.” Two books which questioned Catholic teaching on matters of life were produced by the institute under Paglia’s leadership, leading renowned papal biographer George Weigel to comment that the institute was betraying “the intention of the saint and scholar who founded it”. It is also not the first time the archbishop has appeared to soften the teaching of Humanae Vitae on human sexuality. In May 2023, he said that “the recognition of the unbreakable connection between married love and generation in Humanae Vitae does not mean that every marital act must necessarily bear fruit”. He added: “We are facing epochal challenges. In the Sixties, the ‘pill’ was considered a total evil. Today, we face even greater dangers. All human life is at risk if we don’t stop spiralling conflict, the arms race, and the destruction of the environment.” The removal of Archbishop Paglia as president and grand chancellor of the Pontifical Academy for Life, and the appointment of his successors, Cardinal Baldassare Reina as grand chancellor and Renzo Pegoraro as president, was one of the first changes to the Curia under Pope Leo XIV. Paglia reached the mandatory retirement age of 80 on 21 April 2025, the day of Pope Francis’s death, so the change was not unexpected and had likely been arranged under the previous pontificate.

Magnifica Humanitas is far more than an encyclical on artificial intelligence. Michael Haynes finds that Pope Leo XIV’s first major text offers a window into the moral vision shaping his pontificate With the launch of his first encyclical there is now no doubt that Leo’s choice of regnal name and entire papacy is centred around what he sees as a pivotal moment for the future of the Church and humanity. “Artificial intelligence needs to be disarmed,” said Leo XIV while launching Magnifica Humanitas today. “This moment needs words capable of attracting attention, of awakening consciences.” This is not to say that Leo opposes the seemingly relentless drive of artificial intelligence (AI) or the wider technological development of the modern world. While AI cannot be deemed “morally neutral”, Leo urged that “it must be at the service of all and the common good”. In short, this could be taken as a summation of the entire encyclical : a plea for the pursuit of the common good. It is certainly written as a response to AI and describes itself as being in the “age of AI”. But it is much wider than AI itself, as Leo appeared to launch his pontificate anew. Just as during his address to the College of Cardinals last May he outlined his papal priorities, in Magnifica Humanitas Leo revealed his deeper concerns about wider society. Given the length of the encyclical, no single analysis can justly summarise all that it contains, but one key element to examine first is what the text reveals about the Pontiff’s moral compass and his view of addressing crises in the Church and wider secular society. Far from being a mere appeal from another cleric for some generically responsible behaviour, this time regarding AI, Leo delved into the entire foundation of societal life. For Leo, the link between his encyclical and his namesake’s Rerum Novarum is palpable. “Like the earlier Leo, I feel entrusted to look upon another huge transformation with eyes of faith, with lucidity of reason, with openness to mystery, and with cries of the poor and the earth resounding in my heart,” he commented during the launch event. This is why Magnifica Humanitas does not deal briefly and solely with AI, but instead uses the topic to launch into a wider schooling of society about improving standards of behaviour and acting in a more Christian manner while seeking the common good. Leo’s assessment of how to preserve humanity from the dangers posed by AI is to attempt a ground-up re-education of society with God at the centre. In part this explains the considerable length of the text, which will have disappointed those looking for a return to briefer tomes. Of the 245 paragraphs and 224 footnotes, Pope Francis is cited 54 times, Benedict XVI 16 times, John Paul II nearly 40 times, and the Second Vatican Council 13 times. St Augustine also features throughout, with a quotation drawn from J.R.R. Tolkien. The tone is a mixture of different elements. Firstly, it is undeniably clear that Leo is seeking to address the result of many years of increasingly anti-Catholic secularism. “We live at a time of significant spiritual and cultural blindness,” he stated. In order to resolve this crisis, a crisis which then spills over into the use of AI, Leo urges society to return to elements intrinsic to Christian civilisation, such as pursuing the common good. “In the era of artificial intelligence, when human dignity is threatened by new forms of dehumanization, ours is the pressing duty to remain profoundly human,” he writes. “We must lovingly safeguard the grandeur of humanity bestowed upon us and revealed in its fullness in Christ, the splendour of which no machine can ever replace.” His approach to how best to use AI thus necessarily involves a quasi-catechesis on the re-Christianisation of society. Leo decried how “the risk of dehumanization — of building a future that excludes God and reduces the other to a means — is an ancient and ever-new temptation that today takes on a technical guise”. Should AI and wider technological development continue in the line of the Tower of Babel, then all will suffer, Leo argued. “Babel thus reveals the limits of any effort that, however grandiose, arises from self-affirmation, sacrifices human dignity for efficiency and aspires to reach heaven without God’s blessing.” “What saves humanity,” he added later in the encyclical, “is the divine love that descends into the most fragile point of our history and renews it from within.” The Pontiff urged all readers to recognise “the harmony that arises when all persons assume their own role and recognize that their strength comes from the Lord”. Such lines present a decidedly Christian tone to the text, if perhaps not a stridently or overtly Catholic one. It reads as Leo’s heartfelt appeal to the world at large to act in a more polite, respectful and ultimately Christian manner. “In order to protect the human person in the age of artificial intelligence, I believe that today we must once again reflect on the common good, the universal destination of goods, subsidiarity, solidarity and social justice,” wrote Leo, having noted that “a city founded on the common good implies, first and foremost, building on a firm relationship with God”. At other times the text seems less unabashedly Catholic than a papal encyclical ought confidently to appear. In large part this is due to the Pope’s reiteration of his predecessor’s text Dignitas Infinita regarding human dignity, and an underlying tone in the text which appears to orient the Pope’s proposed societal changes as being chiefly desirable because they benefit man, rather than being linked to a conversion of hearts and minds to Catholicism. Assuredly, in certain sections the Pope notes the importance of having God at the foundation of activity, but in others a far more secular tone is present. Modern teaching on human dignity tends to upend traditional teaching, generally remaining silent on supernatural dignity and then elevating natural dignity. For a more detailed analysis on the topic than is possible here, see this correspondent’s article and book on the topic. Citing this teaching on human dignity, Leo writes that it is this which “requires us to shape the way we live together, including our economic and political choices, and the makeup of our cities”. Yet such an aspect is also very much in line with Leo’s papal style: avoiding polemics, and outwardly remaining calm as he seeks to find common ground with all in an apparent attempt to defuse tensions and foster peaceful dialogue. This does not stop him from once again decrying abortion and euthanasia. Nor did Leo feel restrained in making a bold statement declaring that the Church’s longstanding teaching on a “just war” is “now outdated” since “humanity possesses far more effective and capable tools for promoting human life and resolving conflicts, such as dialogue, diplomacy and forgiveness”. Indeed, this latter point places his repeated calls for peace in a new light, given that, for Leo, it appears that armed conflict can no longer be justified, a pronouncement which is not supported either by Scripture or Tradition. For an encyclical billed as being solely about AI, the text delivers far more than that. It reads as a window into Leo’s moral and social views and thus into the style and priorities of his pontificate. Vaticanists waiting for a “tell” on Leo have finally been granted an inside look. Leo highlights the Christian foundation of society before noting that only Christianity can lead society and mankind to truly flourish. He then moves to address questions relating to the common good, alongside topics likely to interest more secular readers, including his passionate appeals regarding armed conflict and the growing use of AI in fuelling the global war industry. But in closing he returns once more to his overtly Christian theme, emphasising the importance of prayer in sustaining any endeavour aimed at fostering a better society in pursuit of the common good. “The spirituality that we need,” he wrote, “is a Eucharistic spirituality, that is, a spirituality of ecclesial unity in love.” Leo urged society to recognise the beauty that comes not from AI’s takeover of the world, or even man himself through transhumanism, but from the frailty of humanity which must rely upon God for everything. “Our rule,” he concluded, “must be the acceptance of human limitations as a natural and positive reality, and should be characterized by shared responsibility and a language characterized by the Gospel.” Michael Haynes is an English journalist in the Holy See Press Corps. He serves as Vatican Correspondent and Analyst for Pelican+ , while readers can follow him at Per Mariam and on X @MLJHaynes .

Pope Leo XIV has published the first encyclical of his pontificate, warning that artificial intelligence risks creating a new “Tower of Babel” built on technocratic power, dehumanisation and moral confusion Pope Leo XIV has published the first encyclical of his pontificate, issuing a warning against the dangers posed by artificial intelligence and what he describes as a growing “culture of power” threatening the dignity of the human person. Magnifica Humanitas (“Magnificent Humanity”), released by the Vatican on 25 May after being held under strict embargo until late Monday morning in Rome, is the Holy Father’s most substantial intervention yet in the global debate surrounding AI and the technological transformation of society. The encyclical argues that humanity now stands between two paths: the construction of a new “Tower of Babel” founded on pride, uniformity and technocratic power, or the rebuilding of a new Jerusalem grounded in solidarity, communion and God-centred human fraternity. “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,” the Pope writes in the opening paragraphs of the encyclical. The 230-paragraph document is the first major social encyclical of Leo XIV’s pontificate and immediately places him within the long tradition of modern Catholic social teaching stretching back to Pope Leo XIII’s Rerum Novarum in 1891. Far from rejecting technological progress outright, Leo XIV repeatedly insists that technology is a fundamentally human achievement capable of serving the common good. However, he warns that technological systems can never be considered morally neutral and must remain subordinate to the dignity of the human person. “We cannot consider AI to be morally neutral,” the Pope states. The encyclical presents artificial intelligence as one of the defining res novae — “new things” — confronting the modern world, the language traditionally used by the Church to describe the upheavals of the industrial revolution. The document states that unprecedented technological power is increasingly concentrated in the hands of private actors operating beyond effective political oversight, creating new dangers for democracy, labour, truth and peace. “More power does not necessarily imply something better,” it states. Much of the encyclical is devoted to explaining why the Church believes artificial intelligence cannot be equated with human intelligence. The Pope insists that AI systems, however sophisticated, remain incapable of moral reasoning, authentic relationships or genuine human experience. “So-called artificial intelligences do not undergo experiences, do not possess a body, do not feel joy or pain,” the encyclical says. “Nor do they have a moral conscience.” Leo XIV repeatedly returns to the theme of human dignity, grounding the entire encyclical in the belief that every person possesses an “infinite dignity” rooted in creation in the image of God rather than in usefulness, efficiency or productivity. “The fundamental dignity of each person,” he writes, “is neither acquired nor earned, nor does it need to be justified.” The Pope warns that the unchecked growth of AI risks creating new forms of dehumanisation in which human beings are valued according to economic output, algorithmic usefulness or digital visibility. He cautions against reducing human judgement to automated systems and criticises cultural movements that treat technological transcendence as a substitute for spiritual fulfilment. One of the most striking sections of the document is its sustained critique of transhumanist and posthumanist ideologies, which seek to overcome biological limitations through technological enhancement. Without naming particular movements or figures, Leo XIV argues that such projects reflect humanity’s recurring temptation to seek salvation apart from God. “Babel thus reveals the limits of any effort that, however grandiose, arises from self-affirmation, sacrifices human dignity for efficiency and aspires to reach heaven without God’s blessing,” the encyclical says. The encyclical also addresses the growing political and social consequences of AI-generated misinformation and manipulated media. Leo XIV warns that artificial intelligence is rapidly transforming the public square and undermining trust in democratic institutions through the spread of falsehoods and synthetic content. “Disinformation finds a powerful amplifier in AI,” the document states. The Pope argues that truth itself must be defended as a “common good” and calls for what he describes as an “ecology of communication” rooted in responsibility, education and human relationships rather than manipulation and profit. “The search for truth is an essential element of democracy,” he writes. Questions surrounding labour and the future of work occupy another substantial portion of the encyclical. Leo XIV warns against economic systems that prioritise efficiency over workers and expresses concern about automation displacing millions of people while weakening social bonds and family life. The Pope also calls for stronger political oversight of AI systems, greater international cooperation and safeguards against the monopolisation of data and digital infrastructure. In one of the encyclical’s most arresting phrases, Leo XIV urges world leaders to “disarm AI”. “Disarming AI means freeing it from the mentality of ‘armed’ competition,” the Pope writes, warning against an escalating technological arms race between states and corporations. The document devotes an extended section to the dangers posed by autonomous weapons systems and the growing use of AI in warfare. Leo XIV argues that artificial intelligence is accelerating the pace and destructiveness of conflict while distancing human beings from moral responsibility for violence. “AI acts as an accelerating factor” in changing the nature of war, he writes. The Pope condemns what he calls the “normalisation of war” and criticises a global culture increasingly resigned to permanent conflict, weakened diplomacy and the collapse of multilateral institutions. “This culture of power infiltrates society,” he warns, “normalising war.” Despite the encyclical’s sombre tone, the document concludes on a strongly hopeful note centred on the Christian doctrine of the Incarnation. Against ideologies promising technological transcendence, Leo XIV points to Christ as the true fulfilment of humanity. “At the heart of everything is the mystery of the Incarnation, the Word who became flesh and dwelt among us,” he writes. The final pages call on Catholics to resist despair and instead help build what the Pope repeatedly describes as a “civilisation of love” capable of directing technological progress towards authentic human flourishing. “In the era of artificial intelligence,” the Pope writes, “when human dignity is threatened by new forms of dehumanisation, ours is the pressing duty to remain profoundly human.”

Magnifica Humanitatis will reportedly place human dignity at the centre of the Church’s response to artificial intelligence as Pope Leo XIV addresses war, algorithms and the moral limits of technological progress Pope Leo XIV will publish his first encyclical on Monday, warning against the dangers of transhumanism and the dehumanising effects of artificial intelligence, according to details revealed in advance by Vatican correspondent Nico Spuntoni. The document, titled Magnifica Humanitatis , has reportedly been described inside the Vatican as the defining text of the new pontificate and places the defence of human dignity at the centre of the Church’s response to rapid technological change. According to Spuntoni, the encyclical argues that humanity now stands “at a crossroads between self-sufficiency and solidarity” as artificial intelligence becomes increasingly embedded in political, economic and social life. The text frames that struggle through biblical imagery while returning repeatedly to the theological significance of the Incarnation. Nico Spuntoni wrote that Leo XIV presents “contemplation of the Incarnate Word” as the answer to what the Pope calls “the eclipse of the meaning of what it means to be human”. The encyclical is expected to expand substantially on comments made by the Pope shortly after his election when he explained why he had chosen the name Leo. Addressing the College of Cardinals, the Pope said Leo XIII had confronted “the social question in the context of the first great industrial revolution”, while the Church today must respond to “another industrial revolution and to the developments of artificial intelligence, which bring new challenges for the defence of human dignity, justice and work”. Far from rejecting technological development altogether, the encyclical reportedly argues that artificial intelligence must remain subject to moral responsibility and ordered towards the common good. The Pope is also said to warn against any attempt to replace or transcend the human person through technology. Furthermore, Nico Spuntoni reported that Leo XIV criticises those who seek “to transcend humanity through technology”, while insisting on what he previously described as a “healthy sense of proportion” in relation to scientific development. The document reportedly returns several times to the question of human dignity as the measure against which all technological progress must be judged. In one passage referenced by Spuntoni, the Pope stresses that the human person possesses inherent dignity because each person is “willed, created, and loved by God”. That theme had already appeared in the Pope’s message for this year’s World Communications Day, in which he quoted St Gregory of Nyssa’s teaching that mankind possesses “a royal character” because humanity is created in the image of God. According to Nico Spuntoni’s account, the Pope expresses particular concern about what he sees as the erosion of moral accountability through reliance on algorithms and automated systems. The encyclical reportedly develops warnings Leo XIV issued earlier this year in a message for the International Day of Mathematics, when he called for algorithms to respect “the integral growth of the person” and not exclude “the moral dimension of these emerging technologies”. The impact of artificial intelligence on relationships and public discourse also features prominently in the text. Spuntoni said the Pope warns against forms of digital communication that undermine truth and human freedom, echoing earlier appeals from the pontiff for technology to remain at the service of authentic human interaction. The encyclical is also expected to address the military use of artificial intelligence. Pope Leo, who has appealed for peace since his election, reportedly insists on the ethical limits that must govern technological development in the defence sector. Nico Spuntoni suggested the Pope also uses the document to defend multilateral cooperation at a time of increasing geopolitical instability and international fragmentation. The encyclical is also likely to reinforce Leo XIV’s growing reputation as a pontiff deeply shaped by the intellectual legacy of St Augustine and Pope Benedict XVI. Spuntoni noted that the document revisits themes explored by Benedict in Spe Salvi , particularly the danger of mankind placing excessive faith in its own power and technological capability. According to Spuntoni, the Pope rejects the idea that Catholic social teaching is merely sociological or political, instead presenting it as something rooted directly in Christ and the Gospel. Ultimately, the encyclical does not condemn artificial intelligence itself, but instead seeks to direct technological development towards the service of humanity and the common good. In doing so, according to Spuntoni, the Pope expresses hope that mankind can still place technological progress at the service of human dignity rather than allow it to diminish or replace it. The topic of the text is as expected. The Pope’s choice of name and subsequent comments on artificial intelligence made it almost certain that this would be the theme of his first encyclical. The antimilitarist stance is also not surprising. However, the succinct way in which the pontiff has drawn together two major themes of his pontificate is characteristic of both the diplomatic ability and quiet confidence he has exuded since taking office. JD Vance has already said that he is “looking forward to reading” Magnifica Humanitatis, and it is likely that the text will prove influential on the world stage. By linking war with the topic of AI, the Pope has adeptly given world leaders a way to discuss the need for restraint in conflict without stoking partisan tensions. The full text will be presented tomorrow at 11.30am in the Vatican’s Synod Hall. It will be signed on 15 May, matching the date of the signing and publication of Rerum Novarum, Pope Leo XIII’s best-known encyclical, issued on 15 May 1891. The same date was also chosen in 1931 by Pope Pius XI for Quadragesimo Anno, which developed the Church’s teaching on social order and introduced the principle of subsidiarity. Thirty years later, on 15 May 1961, Pope John XXIII promulgated Mater et Magistra, focusing on economic justice and social development. The date of release, 25 May, also coincides with Pope John Paul II’s Ut Unum Sint, on ecumenism, which was released on 25 May 1995, and Pope Leo XIII’s Annum Sacrum, released on 25 May 1899, which consecrated the entire human race to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.