In Pope Leo XIV’s first encyclical (essentially a papal letter issued as guidance), the pontiff framed artificial intelligence as a moral test for humanity. “Magnifica Humanitas” (“Magnificent Humanity”) — with its subtitle, “Safeguarding the Human Person in the Time of Artificial Intelligence” — calls for a “measured and vigilant approach” to AI, which the pope warned could deepen inequality. Although he stressed that a technology built and governed by a small elite cannot serve the common good, he acknowledged AI’s potential as “a valuable tool” and cautioned that it “must never be separated from conscience and responsibility,” but rather used in a way that is “human-friendly.”
The document, which he presented alongside Anthropic co-founder Chris Olah, drew reactions from across the social and political spectrum, including parts of the tech world, not just from religious observers who read it as doctrine. It also generated widespread media attention, and the pope’s own post on X garnered over 21 million views in a matter of days. The encyclical’s popularity surprised many: Why would the views of a religious figure on tech issues matter?
As one of the few global figures to speak about AI as a moral challenge, not as a technological inevitability that one must accept without question, the significant attention that Leo’s doctrine has received underscores the unusual role he plays in today’s political atmosphere. He has emerged as one of the rare public voices willing to speak truth to power.
In an era defined by AI anxiety, democratic decline, war and ecological collapse, the pope appears to be following his predecessor, Pope Francis, and is not being cowed into agreement by authoritarian leaders, filling a political void at a time when their humiliation tactics shape global politics. The encyclical sharpened the contrast between him and figures like President Donald Trump, with whom he has publicly clashed over issues like immigration and the Iran war.
It’s hard to be sure if the widespread attention reflects real renewed popularity for the pope as a religious figure. But it certainly seems as if the papacy is one of the few remaining transnational institutions speaking in universal moral terms, perhaps even giving cause for devout Catholic employees to opt out of using AI on religious grounds. Even international institutions such as the United Nations and the International Criminal Court are seen as failing to live up to their ideals, despite continuing to issue warnings on subjects like war, human rights abuses and climate change.
The pope also appears to understand the anxieties of populations, even in democratic countries. Political and tech leaders are struggling to understand public sentiment over AI — a disconnect that became explicit during recent commencement speeches in the United States. Many of these went viral on social media, as popular tech executives, including former Google CEO Eric Schmidt, faced boos and backlash from students worried about a job market being radically reshaped by AI. The pope seems to understand their concerns, whereas politicians still seem determined to accelerate AI, regardless of the social cost.
The role of global moral voice, which Leo now seems to occupy, may be similar to the one played by Nobel Laureate Kofi Annan, secretary-general of the United Nations from 1997 to 2006, who was often dubbed “president of the world.” Annan, in the aftermath of 9/11, spoke in defense of the U.N. and human rights at a time when the U.S., in the name of its war on terror, undermined the global order and dragged other countries into its orbit.
Leo’s views follow those of Francis, who had already begun to elevate issues like climate change, migration, inequality and the costs of war, putting them front and center in his papacy when many political leaders were failing to address them. In doing so, Francis helped position the Vatican as a proactive moral voice on global issues.
A number of conservative Catholic voices have also endorsed Leo’s emphasis on human dignity and his skepticism toward unregulated technological power, seeing it as consistent with long-standing church teachings. Still, it’s likely that many of the 21 million people who viewed his X post are not focused on Catholic doctrine. What is clear is that the pope has found a voice by speaking more clearly than their own democratic leaders about the challenges they are facing.