Pope Leo frames AI encyclical

Pope Leo XIV has turned artificial intelligence into the first major policy theme of his pontificate, with Catholic news outlets reporting that he is expected to sign his first encyclical on Friday and the Vatican expected to publish it by the end of May. The move follows months of speeches in which Leo has described AI as a question of ethics, labor, education and war. On Thursday, he sharpened that framing in Rome, warning that investment in AI and advanced weapons risked driving current conflicts into what he called a “spiral of annihilation.” The Vatican has not yet published the encyclical text, but Leo’s recent remarks and earlier official messages show the lines he is drawing. In a June 2025 Vatican message to a Rome conference on AI, ethics and corporate governance, he said AI required “serious reflection” on its ethical dimension and responsible governance, and said the Church wanted to contribute to debate affecting “the present and future of our human family.” (catholiccourier.com) ### Why is Leo tying AI to war right now? Rome’s La Sapienza University gave Leo a public stage on May 14 to connect AI directly to armed conflict. During the visit, he said the use of artificial intelligence and high-tech weaponry had become part of an “inhuman evolution” in warfare, citing Ukraine, Gaza and the Palestinian territories, Lebanon and Iran. (vatican.va) The Associated Press reported that Leo also said military spending had risen sharply this year, especially in Europe, at the expense of education and health care. He called for closer monitoring of how AI is developed and used in both military and civilian settings so that it does not remove human responsibility for decisions, according to AP’s account of the speech. (pbs.org) ### What has he already said about AI outside the war context? June 17, 2025, is one of the clearest markers of Leo’s approach. In his message to the Rome AI conference, he called AI “above all else a tool,” warned it could be misused for selfish gain or to “foment conflict and aggression,” and said its risks and benefits should be judged by whether it serves the integral development of the human person and society. (pbs.org) OSV News, in a May 14 roundup republished by Catholic Review, said Leo has repeatedly returned to AI since his election in May 2025. The report said he has warned young people not to let AI limit their ability to think, told priests not to use chatbots to write homilies, and told lawmakers from 68 countries that AI is meant to serve humans rather than replace them. (vatican.va) ### Why does an encyclical matter more than a speech? An encyclical is one of the most authoritative forms of papal teaching, and Leo appears to be using that format to elevate AI from a technology debate into a formal subject of Catholic social doctrine. Catholic Courier and Catholic Review both reported that the document would be his first encyclical and is expected to be signed May 15. (catholicreview.org) The choice of topic also places Leo in continuity with Pope Francis, who addressed AI at the Group of Seven summit in June 2024 and warned about the ethics of automated decision-making. Leo cited Francis in his June 2025 Vatican message, repeating that AI is a tool whose moral force depends on the intentions of the people using it. (catholiccourier.com) ### What concrete details from La Sapienza stood out? Thursday’s visit was the first papal appearance at La Sapienza since Pope Benedict XVI canceled a planned speech there in 2008 after protests from faculty and students, according to AP’s report carried by PBS. Leo was welcomed on campus and met Palestinian students who had recently arrived in Italy through a humanitarian corridor from Gaza to continue their studies. (vatican.va) Vatican News said Leo urged students to be “artisans of true peace” during the same visit. That language sat alongside his warning that universities and research should be directed toward life, peace and justice rather than technologies that intensify conflict. ### What happens next? May 15 is the reported signing date for the encyclical, according to Catholic Courier and OSV News’ report in Catholic Review, while publication is expected by the end of May. (pbs.org) Until the Vatican releases the text, Leo’s La Sapienza speech and his June 2025 AI message remain the clearest guide to how he is framing the document. (catholiccourier.com) (vaticannews.va)