Artificial intelligence is about to get the Vatican treatment.
Pope Leo XIV is expected to sign his first major encyclical as early as Friday, reportedly titled Magnifica Humanitas (“Magnificent Humanity”). The AI-focused document could be released on the anniversary of Rerum Novarum, Pope Leo XIII’s landmark 1891 labor encyclical, according to Axios.
Catholic scholars and Church observers say Leo XIV is deliberately drawing parallels between the industrial upheaval of the 19th century and today’s AI boom. According to Le Monde, the encyclical is expected to adapt Catholic social teaching to “this aspect of modernity,” particularly around “people and working conditions.”
AI seen as a moral and labor crisis
The Vatican’s expected intervention comes as governments, tech firms, and labor groups continue debating how AI could reshape jobs, education, healthcare, and society itself.
Axios reported that the encyclical will likely argue that technology must remain subordinate to human beings rather than the other way around. The outlet also noted that the Vatican has already introduced formal AI guidelines and oversight structures inside Vatican City.
The late Pope Francis repeatedly warned that AI could worsen inequality, surveillance, and autonomous warfare while reducing people to “data points,” according to Axios.
Leo’s emerging leadership style
The expected AI encyclical also arrives as Leo XIV begins shaping his own identity as pope. Le Monde described the Chicago-born pontiff as cautious and methodical during his first year in office, earning him the nickname “marble cat” within the Vatican for his calm demeanor.
But the pope has recently taken stronger public positions on global issues, including war and immigration. Le Monde reported that Leo’s diplomatic style differs from that of the late Pope Francis, favoring what Vatican observers described as a more “structured” and “systematic” approach.
Despite stylistic differences, both popes appear aligned on several core themes, including social justice, environmental protection and human dignity. “Francis opened the way and Leo is continuing it in a different manner,” one cardinal told Le Monde.
The Vatican steps further into the AI debate
The Holy See has already backed the “Rome Call for AI Ethics,” which promotes transparency and human-centered AI development. Leo XIV has also weighed in publicly on technology during the early months of his papacy.
Axios reported that in Feb., he advised priests not to use AI to write homilies or chase likes on platforms such as TikTok. During a trip to Cameroon in April, Leo urged Catholic university students to become “pioneers of a new humanism in the context of the digital revolution,” according to the National Catholic Register.
The Pope noted: “Like every great historical transformation, this too calls not only for technical competence, but also for a humanistic formation.”