On 25 May, Pope Leo XIV published his first encyclical titled "Magnifica Humanitas: On Safeguarding the Human Person in the Time of Artificial Intelligence".
It is a clear attempt to recall the principles of the Church's social doctrine in the face of the challenges posed by the ultra-fast development of artificial intelligence.
The title itself states Pope Leo's central argument that humanity remains "magnificent" even amid rapid technological change, particularly in the context of AI.
The encyclical follows another foundational text, "Rerum Novarum", issued by Pope Leo XIII in 1891 to address the upheaval of the Industrial Revolution. Where that document confronted the industrial age, "Magnifica Humanitas" addresses its latest, digital stage.
The first dealt with the 19th and 20th centuries, the second with the 21st - but the primacy of human dignity remains the cornerstone of both.
