Pope Leo XIV flags AI encyclical

Pope Leo XIV used a visit to Rome’s Sapienza University on May 14 to sharpen a theme that has run through his early papacy: artificial intelligence must remain subject to the human person. Vatican News said Leo urged students to become “artisans of true peace” and warned about rising military spending and the dangers of artificial intelligence in war. (vaticannews.va) The Vatican had announced the visit in advance, with a program that included a meeting with Rector Antonella Polimeni, an address in the university’s Great Hall and greetings with students on the monumental staircase. Axios reported on May 14 that Leo was expected to sign an encyclical focused on artificial intelligence as soon as Friday, a step that would make the subject the center of his first major doctrinal document. (vaticannews.va) Reuters could not independently verify Axios’ reported title for the document from the Vatican material available on Friday. Vatican News and Vatican press-office material reviewed by Reuters did not announce an encyclical, but they did show Leo publicly linking technology, peace and human dignity. ### What did Leo actually say at Sapienza? Pope Leo XIV told Sapienza on Thursday, May 14, “Be artisans of true peace: an unarmed and disarming peace, humble and persevering, working for harmony among peoples and for the care of the Earth,” according to Vatican News. (vaticannews.va) The same report said he addressed students first and then professors during the visit. Vatican News said Leo praised Sapienza for widening access to education for poorer students, people with disabilities, prisoners and refugees fleeing war zones. The report also said he welcomed an agreement between the Diocese of Rome and Sapienza to open a university humanitarian corridor from the Gaza Strip. (axios.com) ### Where does artificial intelligence enter this speech? Vatican News said Leo warned at Sapienza about “the dangers of artificial intelligence in war,” placing the technology inside a broader appeal against conflict and rearmament. The Vatican account did not, in the material reviewed by Reuters, publish a full passage tying the university address to a coming encyclical. (vaticannews.va) Leo had already made artificial intelligence a recurring subject in a January message for the Catholic Church’s 60th World Day of Social Communications. Vatican News said that message argued technology must “serve the human person, not replace it,” and warned that AI could weaken critical thinking, imagination and personal responsibility. (vaticannews.va) ### Why would an encyclical matter inside the Catholic Church? The Vatican treats an encyclical as one of the pope’s highest forms of teaching authority, and such documents are typically addressed to bishops and the wider church. Axios said an AI encyclical would place human dignity, labor rights and ethics at the center of the church’s response to the technology. (vaticannews.va) Reuters could not confirm those details from official Vatican documents available on Friday. Leo’s public comments so far do align with that direction. The January communications message described the challenge of AI as “not primarily technological but anthropological,” according to Vatican News, and said the spread of systems that simulate voices, faces and emotions could alter human communication and identity. (vaticannews.va) ### What else was happening around the Vatican this week? Snopes reported on May 14 that the Vatican had given Iran’s ambassador, Mohammad Hossein Mokhtari, a diplomatic honor, but said Pope Leo XIV did not personally bestow it. The fact-check addressed online claims circulating during a week in which the Vatican was also managing attention on Leo’s public appearances and messages. (axios.com) The Holy See’s public calendar showed other near-term events competing for attention, including a May 24 Pentecost Mass and an apostolic journey to Spain scheduled for June 6-12. The same Vatican calendar listed the Sapienza visit among Leo’s official activities for May 14. ### What should readers watch next? (vaticannews.va) May 17 is the next dated Vatican text tied directly to Leo’s AI language. Vatican News said his message for the 60th World Day of Social Communications will be celebrated that day and focuses on digital communication and artificial intelligence. Any encyclical would normally appear through the Vatican press office and the Holy See’s document pages, which are the next places to watch for an official text, title and publication date. (snopes.com) Until then, the clearest verified record is Leo’s May 14 Sapienza address and his January message that technology must serve the human person. (press.vatican.va) (vaticannews.va) (vatican.va)