The importance of Pope Leo’s first encyclical

By Phil Lawler ( bio - articles - email ) | May 19, 2026

On May 8, the anniversary of the election of Pope Leo XIV, the internet was packed with commentary about how much we now know (or don’t know) about the new Pope’s pastoral plans. I refrained from joining in analysis, because frankly I still have questions about what this pontificate will bring. Next week we’ll know much more.

Coincidentally it was on May 18, the anniversary of Leo’s installation* as Roman Pontiff, that the Vatican announced the Pope’s first encyclical, Magnifica Humanitas, on artificial intelligence (AI), will be released on May 25. An encyclical’s publication is always a major event, and a Pontiff’s first effort deserves special notice. But in this case particularly so, for several reasons:

• For the first time, what Pope Leo says will be judged entirely on its own merit, not with reference to what Pope Francis said or did. For twelve months Vatican-watchers have carefully watched how Pope Leo handled the controversies stirred up during the previous pontificate. From the day of his first appearance on the loggia of St. Peter’s, Pope Leo has made it clear that he wants to restore serenity and unity to the Church after a decade of confusion and division. Markedly unlike his predecessor, he has avoided provocative statements and dramatic gestures. Indeed earlier this month, in taking stock of his first year in office, some analysts saw him as carefully continuing the legacy of Pope Francis, while others remarked that he was gently trimming some of the previous Pope’s excesses. But the subject of this encyclical—artificial intelligence (AI)—is one on which Pope Francis left no memorable teaching. No one is likely to read Magnifica Humanitas as either an endorsement or a repudiation of Pope Francis; it will be, simply and unequivocally, the work of Pope Leo.
• AI is an enormous topic, with weighty implications for our future. Most of us have barely begun to understand the ways in which AI will change our lives. The developers of AI systems paint pictures of a future (a near future) that can from promising (with computers performing routine and repetitive tasks, liberating men to pursue more creative work) to nightmarish (the computers seize control and we work for them). The economic consequences of AI are already evident; the corporations at the forefront of the field have set new records for market capitalization. The environmental consequences—the machines’ insatiable demands for power and the need for space for massive data centers—are worrisome. But the most important question of all is how AI can be regulated in a way that preserves and protects the dignity of human freedom and the role of human conscience. It is easy to foresee conflicts between those who would develop AI to maximize profits, heedless of the consequences for the needy—or worse, to pursue their own dreams for a “superhuman” society—and those who want to develop AI as another powerful tool, which man should control. These are questions on which moral guidance the from the Church should be helpful.
• Pope Leo has spoken frequently about AI. Although to date his statements on the subject have been relatively brief and general, he has obviously given a great deal of thought to the matter; he rightly sees this as a key moral challenge for mankind in the 21st century. The timing of this encyclical is excellent; the Pope will weigh in before most people have formed their own opinions on the matter. His guidance could set the “gold standard” for moral analysis of AI.
• Any possible doubt about the importance that Pope Leo attaches to this document should have been eliminated by the May 18 Vatican announcement. Ordinarily the Vatican hosts a press conference, at which officials of the Roman Curia introduce the encyclical. For this occasion, Pope Leo himself will be on hand, and Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican Secretary of State, will make closing remarks. Cardinal Victor Fernandez, the prefect of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, will speak, as will Cardinal Michael Czerny, prefect of the Dicastery for Integral Human Development. Three experts in the field are also on the program, including most notably Christopher Olah, the co-founder of Anthropic, which is arguably the leading corporation in field of AI.
• The inclusion of a corporate representative in the roll-out of an encyclical is remarkable. The selection of an Anthropic founder is particularly interesting, because Anthropic is currently at loggerheads with the Trump administration. The corporation has strongly resisted the government’s plans to use Anthropic’s AI for surveillance of citizens and for the development of autonomous weapons systems. In each case, Anthropic has taken a stand against the use of AI for purposes that might allow machines to make decisions and take actions without the supervision of a human conscience.

* For the record, a Pope becomes Pope as soon as he accepts election. His “installation” is a ceremony, formally recognizing the authority he already holds.