Pope Leo XIV to publish AI encyclical

Pope Leo XIV has chosen artificial intelligence for the first encyclical of his pontificate, putting a fast-moving technology issue at the center of one of the Catholic Church’s highest forms of teaching. The Vatican said *Magnifica humanitas* will be released on May 25 and will address “preserving the human person in the age of artificial intelligence.” The document bears Leo’s signature dated May 15, the 135th anniversary of *Rerum novarum*, the landmark 1891 encyclical of Pope Leo XIII on labor and social order. Vatican officials have also signaled that the rollout itself will be part of the message: the launch will include Christopher Olah, a co-founder of AI company Anthropic. ### Why is an encyclical a big deal here? An encyclical is one of the most authoritative forms of papal writing, used to set out teaching on major questions facing the church and the wider world. By making his first encyclical about AI, Leo is giving the subject unusual weight early in his papacy. Vatican News said the text focuses on safeguarding the human person in an age shaped by artificial intelligence. (vaticannews.va) May 15 is part of the symbolism. Vatican News said Leo signed the document on the anniversary of *Rerum novarum*, the text in which Leo XIII addressed workers’ rights and the social effects of industrial capitalism. In his first address to cardinals after his election, Leo XIV had already said the church must respond to “a new industrial revolution and to the development of artificial intelligence.” (vaticannews.va) ### Why does the date of signature matter? The 135-year link to *Rerum novarum* ties Leo XIV’s AI document to a previous moment when the church responded to economic and technological upheaval. Vatican News explicitly connected the new encyclical’s signature date to that earlier text. That suggests the Vatican wants the new document read within the tradition of Catholic social teaching, rather than as a one-off intervention on tech policy. That connection is an inference from the Vatican’s choice of date and framing. (vaticannews.va) January 2026 and May 2026 statements from Leo show that AI has been a recurring theme, not a late addition. Vatican News reported in January that he said technology must serve the human person and not replace it, and reported in May that he warned about the dangers of artificial intelligence in war. ### Why is Christopher Olah’s presence unusual? (vaticannews.va) Christopher Olah is not a church official or academic theologian. The Vatican said the Anthropic co-founder, identified as working on interpretability research in AI, will speak at the May 25 presentation. Bloomberg separately reported that Olah would join Pope Leo at the launch of the pontiff’s first encyclical. (vaticannews.va) The May 25 speaker list also includes Cardinal Victor Manuel Fernández, who heads the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith; Cardinal Michael Czerny, who leads the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development; theologian Anna Rowlands of Durham University; and Sister Leocadie Lushombo of Santa Clara University’s Jesuit School of Theology. Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican secretary of state, is scheduled to give concluding remarks before Leo speaks and gives his blessing. (vaticannews.va) ### Has the Vatican been building toward this? May 16 added an institutional step. Vatican News reported that Leo approved the creation of an Interdicasterial Commission on Artificial Intelligence, coordinated for its first year by the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development. The text approving that body cited the rapid spread of AI, its effects on human beings and humanity as a whole, and the church’s concern for human dignity. (vaticannews.va) January 2025 also showed that the Holy See had already been developing a broader body of AI analysis before this encyclical. Vatican News reported then on a Vatican document examining both the potential and the risks of AI, including warnings about warfare, oversight and human rights. ### What happens on May 25? May 25 is the next fixed milestone. (vaticannews.va) Vatican News said the presentation of *Magnifica humanitas* will begin at 11:30 a.m. in the Vatican’s Synod Hall, with Leo present in person. The Vatican said the pope will deliver remarks and a blessing after the other speakers, and the full text is due to be made public that day. (vaticannews.va 1) (vaticannews.va 2)