![Pope Leo administering mass](/sites/g/files/omnuum5526/files/styles/hwp_21_9__1920x825/public/2026-06/54626132633_395b6ab730_k.jpg?h=9a36fc12&itok=tlmFUiPc) # HDS Professors Clooney, Zegarra Reflect on Pope Leo's AI Encyclical Pope Leo XIV's recent encyclical addresses the threats and possibilities of artificial intelligence and affirms the dignity of human life in the digital age. June 18, 2026 Pope Leo XIV issued the papal encyclical *Magnifica Humanitas* ("Magnificent Humanity") to address artificial intelligence and its rapid transformation of society. Officially released on May 25, 2026, the roughly 42,000-word document affirms the dignity of human life amid the threats posed by AI and calls for the implementation of protections for the most vulnerable. HDS professors [Francis X. Clooney, S.J.](https://www.hds.harvard.edu/people/francis-x-clooney), and [Raúl Zegarra](https://www.hds.harvard.edu/people/raul-zegarra), two experts in Roman Catholic theology, offered reflections on the pope's AI encyclical, underscoring the document's prophetic voice and fierce commitment to ensuring that the world be a place in which all may live and thrive. ## 'The Choice Is Ours' ![Francis X. Clooney, S.J.](/sites/g/files/omnuum5526/files/styles/hwp_1_1__360x360_scale/public/2025-11/10062025-FrancisClooney-1871.jpg?itok=8O8robqY) HDS Professor Francis X. Clooney, S.J.The first thing to know about *Magnifica Humanitas* is that it does not actually tell us much about AI. Pope Leo admits that it is hard to define and that definitions are quickly outdated in this fast-moving field. Modestly, he refers the reader to other Vatican documents that delve into the nature of AI, such as the 2025 *Antiqua et Nova: Note on the Relationship between Artificial Intelligence and Human Intelligence*, which has a section sketching the nature of AI. The subtitle of the current encyclical shows us Leo’s focus: *Safeguarding the Human Person in the Time of Artificial Intelligence*. In our time, as in ages past, we have a choice. We can repeat the errors narrated in Genesis 11 when people came together to build a tower that would reach heaven. God scattered them by creating the innumerable languages of the human race, the babble of the selfish and self-centered who can only talk to themselves. Or we can choose the path set forth by Nehemiah the prophet. He returns from exile, sees the ruins of Jerusalem, and gathers the community to rebuild the city for the benefit of all. Babel or care for our earthly home? The choice is ours. While *Magnifica Humanitas* was publicly unveiled only on May 25, it is dated May 15—the date on which, in 1891, Leo XIII released *Rerum Novarum: On Capital and Labor*. This was the first major Church document on the dignity of workers in an age of rampant capitalism. It was reaffirmed in further papal teachings, Pius XI’s *Quadragesimo Anno* (1931), Paul VI’s *Octogesima Adveniens* (1971), and John Paul II’s *Centesimus Annus* (1991). All argued for the dignity of workers and against the idolatry of power and wealth. At its best, the Church is on the side of the worker, the oppressed, the dispossessed, and speaks truth to power. But Leo does not excuse the Church itself. He notes for instance that two fifteenth-century popes supported the enslavement of infidels by good Christian rulers, and that in 1866, a Vatican document opined that slavery had moral as well as immoral elements. It was only in 1888 that a pope—again, Leo XIII—unreservedly condemned slavery. Of course, Silicon Valley knows much more about AI than does Leo. But that is no excuse for the rich and powerful to make AI yet another means of the self-aggrandizement of the few at the expense of the many. Let artificial intelligence be what it really is: another tool to be employed for the good of all. Inspired by Nehemiah, Leo speaks directly to us: “We too are called to unite listening and courage, prayer and responsibility so that, even when a technocratic mentality or partisan interests seem to prevail, the human city may become a more fitting place to live.” Amen. *— Francis X. Clooney, S.J., Parkman Professor of Divinity at HDS* ## 'A Prophetic Voice' ![Raúl Zegarra](/sites/g/files/omnuum5526/files/styles/hwp_1_1__360x360_scale/public/2025-11/10062025-RaulZegarra-1664.jpg?itok=dSQI4CSI) HDS Professor Raúl ZegarraWhether we are active users of AI, curious inquirers, or conscientious objectors, AI is already transforming how we learn and teach, how we conduct hiring, medical procedures, or even war. And in doing so, AI is transforming us all. Pope Leo XIV is deeply aware of this. He made clear his concern in the very first days of his pontificate, but he has now written a rich encyclical devoted to AI and its relationship with the dignity of life: [*Magnifica Humanitas*](https://www.vatican.va/content/leo-xiv/en/encyclicals/documents/20260515-magnifica-humanitas.html). Leo makes clear that the challenges and possibilities of AI are ultimately anthropological: we must decide how we want to use this new technology. For Leo, the key issue is whether AI will resemble the project of the Tower of Babel, “relying on power and pride,” or the promise of a new Jerusalem that we rebuild with patience “by safeguarding humanity and the common good” (n. 184). Leo’s voice in the encyclical is prophetic in the biblical sense: it denounces evil while announcing a realm of possibility and hope. The evils and dangers are clear: if AI and those who own the main companies developing it are left unchecked, the problems may become insurmountable. We are already experiencing many of those challenges, for instance, in the reduction or elimination of many entry-level jobs often taken by recent college graduates. The videos of graduates booing multiple commencement speakers who offered uncritical praise of AI—apparently unaware of the challenges their audiences face—are merely a symptom of a much larger and more serious problem. But even scarier things are taking place. The US government recently shut down access to Fable 5 and Mythos 5—two AI models developed by Anthropic—whose hacking capabilities are so powerful that may constitute a major cybersecurity threat. We are already in the middle of a new form of “arms race.” But Pope Leo does not believe that AI is inherently a threat; the point is how we direct its remarkable capabilities. The development of criteria, therefore, becomes essential. Here is where Leo mobilizes the long tradition of Catholic Social Teaching, particularly the strong emphasis given by Pope Francis and Leo himself to the idea of the preferential option for the poor and global solidarity with human and nonhuman species. Leo writes: “It is not enough to invoke efficiency, nor to celebrate the benefits of innovation, if they are built on a chain of exploitation... If technology promises emancipation, yet produces new forms of global subordination, it stands in contradiction to the fundamental principle of human dignity” (n. 173). Ultimately, *Magnifica Humanitas* stands as a powerful and prophetic reminder of the dignity of life—that of the human, for sure, but of all life, especially the most vulnerable ones. Will those with power to make choices listen to Leo’s exhortation? Or will people build power together to make their voices heard? Only time will tell. *— Raúl Zegarra, Assistant Professor of Roman Catholic Theological Studies* *Banner image: Pope Leo XIV presides over the celebration of the Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul on Sunday, June 29, 2025, in St Peter’s Basilica*. *Photo by the Catholic Church of England and Wales, via Flickr, licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 4.0.* ## More on Pope Leo XIV [ Harvard Religion Beat: One Year of Pope Leo arrow\_circle\_right ](https://www.hds.harvard.edu/news/2026/05/07/one-year-pope-leo-leadership-legacy-and-future-catholic-church) See also:- [ Faculty and Research ](/discover-stories-about/faculty-and-research) - [ Christianity ](/featured-topics/christianity) - [ Pope ](/topic-tags/pope) - [ Religion and Society ](/topic-tags/religion-and-society)