Safeguard the human person in the AI era, Pope Leo urges in first encyclical letter

May 25, 2026

Pope Leo XIV promulgated his first encyclical letter today and emphasized the importance of safeguarding the human person in the era of artificial intelligence.

“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 encyclical, entitled Magnifica Humanitas, began. “Each generation inherits the task of shaping its own era, of guiding history to become a place where the dignity of every person is safeguarded, justice is promoted and fraternity is made possible.”

“Yet every era also runs the risk of creating an inhumane and more unjust world,” Pope Leo continued. “Whenever humanity is in danger of marring its true identity, we Christians lift our eyes to the Incarnate God, knowing that it is only in the mystery of the Word made flesh that the mystery of humanity truly becomes clear. 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.”

Though promulgated today, Magnifica Humanitas is dated May 15, the 135th anniversary of Pope Leo XIII’s landmark social encyclical Rerum Novarum (Of new things). In his encyclical, Pope Leo XIV reflects on the res novae, or new things, of the current era, writing:

Crucial questions impose themselves on our conscience and can no longer be avoided: Where are we going? Toward what goal do we wish to orient ourselves? What direction should we choose as a people and as a human community? Two biblical images.. In order to answer these questions and discern how to navigate responsibly the era of AI, I would like to bring to mind two scenes from the Bible: the construction of the Tower of Babel (cf. Gen 11:1-9) and the rebuilding of the walls of Jerusalem (cf. Neh 2–6) ...

With the heart of a shepherd and a father, I ask everyone to abandon the construction of yet another Tower of Babel and to join forces in building up the common good, so that humanity will never lose its beauty, and the world once again will come to recognize the human heart as the place where God desires to dwell. (nos. 6-7, 11)

Following an introduction, the 245-paragraph encyclical has five chapters, each with at least two sections:

• 1. A dynamic approach faithful to the Gospel
  • A Church journeying through human history
  • The development of Social Doctrine from Leo XIII to the present
• 2. Foundations and principles of the social doctrine of the Church
  • The foundations of Social Doctrine
  • The principles of Social Doctrine
  • Integral human development
  • An examen for the Church
• 3. Technology and dominance, the grandeur of humanity in light of the promises of AI
  • The technocratic paradigm and digital power
  • What must not be lost
  • The authentic “more than human”: grace and Christian humanism
  • Two cities and two loves
• 4. Safeguarding humanity at a time of transformation: truth, work, freedom
  • Truth as a common good
  • The dignity of work at a time of digital transition
  • Protecting freedom against dependencies and commercialization
  • A shared responsibility
• 5. The culture of power and the civilization of love
  • The civilization of love in the digital age
  • Building the civilization of love

At the conclusion of his reflection, Pope Leo proposed a “sober yet demanding program of Christian life with which we can navigate this epochal change in the light of the Gospel. This avenue emerges through contemplating God’s plan, living ecclesial unity by partaking of the Eucharist, building a world centered on the common good and praying in union with the Blessed Virgin Mary” (n. 229). He concluded:

With the same faith as Mary, let us become “weavers of hope” in our world, sharing who we are and what we have, so that the presence of Jesus may grow among us and his Kingdom take shape. In the humble fidelity of daily life, even the era of AI can become a time in which the Holy Spirit brings about the civilization of love in our lives. Indeed, the Lord continues to make all things new and offers every era the possibility of becoming part of salvation history in the light of the Incarnation.

I entrust our desire to the Mother of Christ, to the Woman of the Magnificat, that she may guide our steps through this time of change and preserve in each of us true faith in the Gospel, so that we may bear witness to the grandeur of humanity, in which God has made his dwelling. (n. 245)

[CWN founder Phil Lawler will publish an analysis of Magnifica Humanitas in the coming days.]

 

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Further information:

• First Encyclical Letter of His Holiness Leo XIV Magnifica Humanitas (Dicastery for Communication - Vatican Media, 5/25/26)