# Pope Leo’s AI encyclical, explained > Magnifica Humanitas (“magnificent humanity”) is Pope Leo XIV’s first encyclical, signed May 15, 2026 and published May 25. Its subject is safeguarding the human person in the age of artificial intelligence. It says technology is not inherently evil and never neutral, because it takes on the aims of those who build, fund, regulate, and use it. It asks that AI serve human dignity rather than replace people, protect workers and fair wages, refuse autonomous war, defend truth, and not concentrate power in a few hands. It contrasts building Babel with rebuilding Jerusalem under Nehemiah. It does not forbid Catholics from using AI. Canonical source: https://www.lumin.faith/pope-leo-ai-encyclical Published: 2026-09-24 Updated: 2026-09-24 Cite this page: “Pope Leo’s AI encyclical, explained.” Lumin. Published September 24, 2026. https://www.lumin.faith/pope-leo-ai-encyclical Video: [Pope Leo’s AI encyclical, explained. Faith & AI, episode 39](https://www.lumin.faith/videos/faith-ai/pope-leo-ai-encyclical-v1.mp4) (41 seconds) ## Babel or Jerusalem: two ways to build. The encyclical sets two building projects side by side. Genesis 11:4 in the Lumin Translation: “Then they said, ‘Come, let us build ourselves a city and a tower with its top in the heavens, and let us make a name for ourselves, so that we are not scattered over the face of the whole earth.’” Babel is a project without reference to God, made uniform and ending in confusion. Nehemiah 2:18 answers it: “They said, ‘Let us get up and build!’ So they strengthened their hands for the good work.” Jerusalem’s walls went up through shared work, with people heard and families gathered. Leo asks which of those AI will become. Leo signed the letter on the 135th anniversary of Rerum novarum, Leo XIII’s encyclical on workers in the industrial age, and presented it himself at the Vatican on May 25, 2026. AI researchers took part in the presentation, including Anthropic co-founder Chris Olah. The document has five chapters: a history of Catholic social teaching, its core principles, technology and domination, safeguarding humanity in a time of change (communication, work, freedom, and education), and the culture of power and the civilization of love (war, peace, and dialogue). ## What the encyclical asks of AI, and the Scripture under it. These are the encyclical’s major themes, each with a passage that stands behind it. The summaries are Lumin’s, not the Vatican’s wording. ### Dignity is given, not earned. **Genesis 1:27** — Human dignity is not acquired, earned, or justified by usefulness. No system may treat people as data, and no machine replaces the human person. ### Technology is never neutral. **Genesis 11:4-9** — It is not evil in itself, and it carries the aims of its makers and owners. Babel is what building looks like when it aims at a name instead of at God and neighbor. ### Workers first, not machine speed. **James 5:4** — Automation should be judged by the dignity of the worker, not only by efficiency. Replacing people simply to cut costs is not progress. ### No algorithm makes war acceptable. **Isaiah 2:4** — The letter warns against AI weapons that take human responsibility out of killing, and presses for dialogue and disarmament. ### Power must be shared and just. **Micah 6:8** — A more moral AI is not enough if a few people decide its morality. The letter asks for shared standards of justice, not control by a handful of companies. ### Truth is a common good. **John 8:32** — It calls for communication built on truth and for schools that teach students to seek and love the truth, so machines do not make human thinking seem useless. ## Reading it as a Christian, Catholic or not. Most people asking about the encyclical want to know what changes for them. ### You are Catholic and use AI for work or study **Not forbidden.** The encyclical does not ban AI. It asks you to use it in ways that serve people and truth, and to notice who it serves. ### You lead a team deciding whether to automate jobs **Put the worker in the decision.** Leo’s test is the dignity of the worker, not efficiency alone. Ask what happens to the people, not only to the budget. ### You are a Protestant or Orthodox Christian **Read it as a serious voice.** It is not your church’s authority, but its biblical themes, Babel, work, and truth, are shared ground. Compare it with your tradition’s statements. ### You are a student **Keep learning to think.** The letter wants schools to form people who seek truth. Use AI in ways that grow your mind, not replace it. ### You build AI **Ask who it concentrates power for.** The encyclical asks technologists to share decisions, protect the vulnerable, and refuse weapons that remove human responsibility. ### You want to read it yourself **Start with the introduction.** The full text is free on the Vatican website. The introduction and chapter three, on technology and domination, carry the core argument. ## Common questions ### What is Magnifica Humanitas? Pope Leo XIV’s first encyclical, on safeguarding the human person in the age of artificial intelligence. It was signed May 15, 2026 and published May 25, 2026. ### What does Magnifica Humanitas mean? It is Latin for “magnificent humanity,” the letter’s opening words. Encyclicals are named by their first words. ### What does Pope Leo say about AI? That AI is neither savior nor evil in itself, that it is never neutral, and that it must serve human dignity, workers, truth, and peace rather than concentrated power or war. ### Is it a sin for Catholics to use AI? No. The encyclical does not forbid using AI. It calls for using and building it in ways that respect human dignity and the common good. ### Why did Pope Leo write about AI? He chose the name Leo partly after Leo XIII, who wrote Rerum novarum during the industrial revolution. He sees AI as a similar turning point for work and society. ### Did someone from Anthropic attend the encyclical launch? Yes. Anthropic co-founder Chris Olah spoke at the Vatican presentation on May 25, 2026, alongside other experts. ### Where can I read the full text of Magnifica Humanitas? The Vatican publishes it free in several languages. The English text is linked in the sources below. ### Is Lumin a Catholic app? Lumin is a Bible companion for Christians across traditions. It lists the encyclical among church statements on AI and does not claim to speak for any church. ## Related guides - [Church statements on AI](/church-statements-on-ai) — The encyclical beside Southern Baptist, Lausanne, and other statements. - [Is AI playing God?](/is-ai-playing-god) — Babel, builders, and the line between tools and towers. - [What does the Bible say about AI?](/what-does-the-bible-say-about-ai) — The biblical principles under the whole conversation. - [Should Christians be afraid of AI?](/should-christians-be-afraid-of-ai) — Take the risks seriously without living in fear. - [What does the Bible say about work?](/what-the-bible-says-about/work) — Work as calling, and why workers matter to God. - [What does the Bible say about AI taking jobs?](/what-does-the-bible-say-about-ai-taking-jobs) — What Scripture says to workers facing automation, and to the managers deciding. ## Sources and further reading - [Encyclical Letter Magnifica Humanitas of the Holy Father Leo XIV](https://www.vatican.va/content/leo-xiv/en/encyclicals/documents/20260515-magnifica-humanitas.html) — Holy See. The full English text, on safeguarding the human person in the time of artificial intelligence, signed May 15, 2026. - [Pope Leo’s ‘Magnifica humanitas’: AI must serve humanity not concentrate power](https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2026-05/pope-leo-xiv-encyclical-magnifica-humanitas-ai.html) — Vatican News. The Vatican’s own chapter-by-chapter summary, including the sections on work, education, war, and the concentration of power. - [In first encyclical, Pope Leo urges world to ‘disarm’ AI amid increased reliance](https://www.usccb.org/news/2026/first-encyclical-pope-leo-urges-world-disarm-ai-amid-increased-reliance) — United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. The U.S. bishops’ news report on the encyclical’s release and its main warnings. Written by Andrew Kittridge, Founder of Lumin.