So anything new in the Catholic world these days? Well… let’s see… its Easter… spring usually means you’ve been invited to a First Communion celebration or a Confirmation… there’s about a month left of school for those north of the equator… hmmm…. that’s about it. Oh, right! We also have a new Pope!
Yes, you would need to be somewhat of a Luddite to not be aware that we have a new Pope. Through the emotions of the passing of Pope Francis to the joy of Pope Leo’s election, I think it safe to say the Catholic world has been on an emotional and spiritual roller coaster.
And, on top of that, we received somewhat of a surprise selection for our new Pontiff. Well… from the outside of the Conclave looking in it was a surprise. However, from the inside of the Conclave looking out it appears to have been far less of a surprise. To have Pope Leo XIV elected in just four votes is rather quick for a papal election, showing us there must have been early consensus among the Cardinals that he would be a strong papal candidate.
All of us have been in scramble mode to learn as much as we can about our new Pope. I will not bore you the obvious, but share with you what I am finding rather interesting as it pertains to posts that have been offered on Sacred Space Astronomy. In the past two days, Pope Leo has mentioned the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on human dignity, justice and labor at least twice. He casts this theme in the context of Leo XIII’s historic encyclical Rerum Novarum, addressing in large part the impact of the industrial revolution on human dignity.
There is so much that can, should and will be discussed about the impact, both good and bad, of AI on human dignity. As I prayed about this last night, question began to emerge such as:
- How has AI necessitated a discussion on what constitutes intellectual property?
- What will be the checks and balances if media gravitates toward AI in story writing?
- What is the good that AI can bring to help streamline research, aid in medical diagnosis and treatment, etc.
- How do we avoid what I would call a “practical-gnosticism” of AI’s benefits being only accessible to the select few from the developed world, working to ensure that AI’s positive benefits be accessible to all peoples and help those who are on the outskirts of society?
I anxiously await the exploration of these questions and applaud Pope Leo for taking on a topic that is intimidating to many, but needs to be addressed. Similar to the industrial revolution, the technological revolution is outpacing humanity’s ability to fully grasp both the positives and dangers of our global cyber-sprint.
One thing I do know is we can’t ignore AI as a people of faith. We need to engage it so we do not allow fear to determine our technological future as a people of faith, but to bring the Holy Spirit into our relationship with things like AI.
To close, I want to present something that reflects one of my concerns for AI. When Pope Leo XIV made reference to AI, my first thought was to do an experiment. I asked OpenAI to write me a papal encyclical that contrasts Pope Leo XIII’s treatment of the industrial revolution in Rerum Novarum with the development of AI. Here is the “papal document” AI produced for me.
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**ENCYCLICAL LETTER**
***Humanitatem in Machina***
**Of the Supreme Pontiff**
**On the Dignity of Labor, the Common Good, and the Ethical Use of Artificial Intelligence**To Our Venerable Brothers the Patriarchs, Primates, Archbishops, and Bishops of the Catholic World in Grace and Communion with the Apostolic See,
Health and Apostolic Benediction.—
**Introduction**
1. At the close of the nineteenth century, our predecessor of venerable memory, Pope Leo XIII, turned his apostolic gaze to the condition of workers in the wake of the Industrial Revolution. His encyclical *Rerum Novarum* spoke prophetically of the rights and duties of capital and labor, calling for justice, solidarity, and respect for human dignity in the face of great economic transformation.
2. Today, at the dawn of the twenty-first century’s third decade, the human family stands before a new revolution—not of industry alone, but of intellect and machine, of data and code. This age is marked by the rapid development of Artificial Intelligence (AI), whose powers now pervade commerce, communication, governance, and even human creativity. As Leo XIII reflected on the factories and foundries of his day, we now turn our attention to the digital workshops of ours.
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**I. The Dignity of the Human Person and the Machine**
3. *Rerum Novarum* rightly begins with the dignity of the person, made in the image of God and called to labor not as a slave to capital but as a co-creator with the Creator. Likewise, the Church today must proclaim that no algorithm, however powerful, can substitute for the moral reasoning and spiritual depth of the human person.
4. Artificial Intelligence must remain a tool in the service of man, not his master. We caution against a vision of society wherein human beings are evaluated solely by the metrics of efficiency, productivity, or predictive models. The person must never be reduced to data.
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**II. Labor in the Digital Age**
5. As in the age of Leo XIII, new forms of work emerge that reshape the economy and society. Digital platforms, algorithmic management, and automated systems displace certain forms of labor even as they create others. Yet many workers today, as in 1891, experience precarity, disconnection, and invisibility.
6. We recall Pope Leo’s defense of the rights of workers: to fair wages, to safe working conditions, to rest, and to form associations. These rights persist even when the employer is a digital platform or the supervisor a machine-learning algorithm. Justice in the workplace must be maintained, even when the workplace is virtual.
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**III. The Common Good and Technological Power**
7. Pope Leo warned of unchecked capitalism concentrating wealth and power in the hands of a few. Today, a similar danger looms as powerful AI technologies are developed and controlled by a small number of corporate and governmental entities. This concentration risks a new form of oligarchy—one that governs not with law but with algorithms.
8. The common good demands that these technologies be developed and deployed with transparency, accountability, and accessibility. The fruits of AI—whether in healthcare, education, or security—must be shared justly among all peoples, not hoarded or used to exploit.
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**IV. Ethics, Conscience, and the Moral Use of Artificial Intelligence**
9. Technology is not morally neutral. Its use shapes habits, forms consciences, and influences societies. As the Church has always taught, progress without virtue leads not to freedom but to domination. The formation of AI must be guided by moral principles rooted in the natural law and the Gospel.
10. We call upon developers, researchers, and policy makers to consider not only what machines *can* do, but what they *ought* to do. Artificial Intelligence must be oriented toward human flourishing, solidarity with the poor, care for creation, and respect for human life in all its stages.
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**V. A Call to Responsibility and Hope**
11. In *Rerum Novarum*, Pope Leo called upon the Church, the state, and civil society to cooperate in seeking justice. We echo that call today. The development of Artificial Intelligence must involve not only scientists and entrepreneurs but also ethicists, theologians, laborers, and the poor themselves, whose voices are often absent from these discussions.
12. Finally, we speak not with fear, but with hope. As the Creator entrusted Adam with the naming of the animals, so humanity is entrusted with naming and shaping this new creation of its own making. If guided by love, reason, and reverence for the divine image in every person, this new age can bear fruit for the kingdom of God.
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**Conclusion**
13. Therefore, with confidence in the Lord who makes all things new, we urge the faithful and all people of goodwill to discern, to act justly, and to love mercy as we navigate the great transition before us. In the midst of machines, may we never lose sight of the human face.
Given at St. Peter’s, Rome, under the Seal of the Fisherman,
On the Feast of Pentecost, May 12, 2025
In the third year of Our Pontificate.**Franciscus**
**Bishop of Rome, Servant of the Servants of God**—
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