The WashingtonPost.com reported that “In his first encyclical, Pope Leo XIV put forth a defense of human dignity in the era of AI, delivering a far-ranging treatise on the morality of technology that included a dramatic plea for guardrails to ensure that artificial intelligence eases — rather than exacerbates — inequality and poverty.” The May 25, 2026 article entitled ” Pope elevates AI ethics to a religious imperative with first encyclical” (https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2026/05/25/pope-elevates-ai-ethics-religious-imperative-with-first-encyclical/) included these comments from Reporters Anthony Faiola, Michelle Boorstein, Gerrit De Vynck, and Stefano Pitrelli:
Leo urged that AI be used to improve conditions for workers and he called for limiting the power of technology companies over the vast computing resources that could reshape how human beings live.
As he addressed social ills related to technology, Leo also delivered an apologyfor the Holy See’s complicity in the slave trade.
Previous popes have apologized for the historical role of Christians in slavery, but Leo drew a connection to the papacy itself, writing of its “past complicity and blindness in the face of the injustice of slavery” and asking for “pardon.”
An encyclical is among the highest forms of papal documents, and Leo’s first — his most important writing to date — positions AI as the catalyst of a new kind of industrial revolution, a cognitive one that has already begun to redefine how the world works, lives, plays, loves and wages war.
The document sets a clear tone for Leo’s early papacy, elevating the ethics of AI to a religious imperative in the same way Pope Francis did with the fight against climate change a decade ago.
In the encyclical, called “Magnifica Humanitas” — “Magnificent humanity” — the tech-savvy, U.S.-born pontiff makes a resounding defense of pacifism. He also urges that humanity embrace its own limitations rather than pursue single-mindedly to overcome them.
Leo has emphasized AI since he became pope, and the new document also warns of the risks of control over humankind’s digital space shifting to the for-profit corporations of Silicon Valley and away from governments.
Anyone surprised?
First published at https://www.vogelitlaw.com/blog/are-you-ready-for-the-pope-expressing-his-views-about-ai