Pope Leo is about to issue an encyclical centered on A.I.: “Magnifica Humanitas”

David Gibson, Pope Leo Chooses Social Justice Over Pelvic Theology, NYTimes, May 22, 2026

Pope Leo XIV’s first landmark teaching document, to be published on Monday, is expected to explore a theme he has emphasized since beginning his papacy a year ago: social disruption in the digital age, in particular the dangers that A.I. poses for human flourishing. Titled “Magnifica Humanitas,” or “Magnificent Humanity,” the document is inspired by the teachings of Leo’s eponymous predecessor, Leo XIII, whose 1891 encyclical “Rerum Novarum” responded to the plight of exploited workers in the Industrial Revolution. It is considered the modern foundation of Catholic social teaching.

“In our own day,” Leo told the College of Cardinals two days after his election, “the church offers to everyone the treasury of her social teaching in response to another industrial revolution and to developments in the field of artificial intelligence that pose new challenges for the defense of human dignity, justice and labor.” As a sign of the subject’s importance, the pope plans to make an unprecedented appearance at the news conference presenting the encyclical. [...]

Dedicating his first encyclical to social justice would show how much Leo, like his predecessor Pope Francis, is trying to shift Catholicism away from the near fixation on “pelvic theology,” or sexual morality, that has come to define Catholicism, especially in Leo’s home country, the United States. The concern is that decades of focusing on “sins below the waist,” as Pope Francis memorably put it, has fueled the church’s culture war agenda and driven many people away from the central teachings of the Gospels.

The essay then goes on to talk about how the Catholic Church had become fixated on sex.

This approach, and this new encyclical, is arriving at a propitious moment. The disruptions of the post-liberal world and the threats posed by A.I. have led many cultural conservatives to make economic justice a priority. The Trump administration’s crusade again immigrants and foreign aid have united the U.S. hierarchy in opposition.

Expanding the church's vision:

This approach, and this new encyclical, is arriving at a propitious moment. The disruptions of the post-liberal world and the threats posed by A.I. have led many cultural conservatives to make economic justice a priority. The Trump administration’s crusade again immigrants and foreign aid have united the U.S. hierarchy in opposition. [...]

A.I. can do remarkable things, but it can also sow disinformation and division. Leo stresses wisdom and relationships. His holistic view of mankind is reflected in the very title of this new encyclical. Our shared humanity, the pope is saying, is a sacred reality, and that carries a social responsibility.

I'll be interested in what this new encyclical has to say. The AI Oligarchy is strong and influential. It is going to take a powerful force to resist it and help guide a more human and human development and deployment of the technolgy. Perhaps the Catholic Church can be that force. We'll see.

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Yikes! Never in a million years did I think I'd be looking to the Catholic Church for social and cultural reform.

The Catholic Church is arguably the oldest continuously functioning hierarchical institution in the Western world, and possibly the world. It's got 1.4 billion members in congregations around the world, with 48% in the Americas, 20% in Africa (and growing), 20% in Europe, 11% in Asia, and 1% in Oceania.