Pope Leo XIV Releases First Encyclical Letter, Magnifica Humanitas
Date posted on May 25, 2026
On May 25, 2026, Pope Leo XIV released his first encyclical letter, Magnifica Humanitas, focusing on safeguarding the human person in the age of artificial intelligence.
Dated May 15, the document commemorates the 135th anniversary of Pope Leo XIII’s Rerum Novarum, the landmark encyclical that addressed the social and economic realities of the Industrial Revolution. In Magnifica Humanitas, Pope Leo XIV reflects on today’s technological transformation, placing human dignity, the common good, solidarity, and shared responsibility at the centre of conversations surrounding artificial intelligence.
Speaking during the Vatican presentation of the encyclical, the Holy Father described artificial intelligence as an “epochal turning point,” warning against uses of technology that foster exclusion, domination, or war. He emphasized that technological progress must remain at the service of humanity and must never reduce the human person to productivity, performance, or mere data.
According to a synopsis provided by the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development, Magnifica Humanitas places human dignity at the centre of technological development and proposes “a civilization of love founded on justice, dialogue and shared responsibility” as an alternative to “the culture of power and war.”
Watch the Vatican video presentation on Magnifica Humanitas below: