Pope Leo XIV’s encyclical addresses artificial intelligence and workers’ rights
Pope Leão XIV will publish his first encyclical on May 25, Vaticano announced this Monday (18). Intitulado “Magnifica Humanitas” (Magnífica Humanidade), the document was formally signed by the pontiff on Friday (15) and is expected to address the rise of artificial intelligence and challenges to workers’ rights. The text will also denounce the wars that are ravaging the world, according to information linked to the institution.
The encyclical marks an unusual moment in Catholic history. Leão XIV, the first pope of the Estados Unidos, will personally participate in a presentation of the text at Vaticano on the day of its publication — a rare move among pontiffs. The event will be attended by Christopher Olah, co-founder of the artificial intelligence company Anthropic.
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The encyclical as a papal teaching tool
Encíclicas are papal documents addressed to bishops around the world and, consequently, to the faithful, informing the position of Igreja Católica on certain issues. Consideradas, one of the most important forms of teaching by a pope, reaches the 1.4 billion Catholics on the planet. The first text of this type generally serves to show the pontiff’s priorities and the social and moral issues that he considers most urgent in the modern world, according to an analysis by John Thavis, a journalist specializing in Vaticano who has followed three papacies.
The choice of date is not casual. Leão XIV signed the document on May 15, a date that marks 135 years since a historic encyclical published by Pope Leão XIII at the end of the 19th century. Esse previous document advocated better wages and working conditions for workers. The current pontiff, who completed a year of papacy on May 8, connects his first papal teaching with this tradition of defending labor rights. The new document should provide Igreja Católica’s broadest guidance on labor rights in decades, a topic that had been prepared for months.
Foco on artificial intelligence and global conflicts
The presence of Christopher Olah in Vaticano is significant. Anthropic, the company he co-founded, presents itself as an organization that puts security and risk mitigation at the center of its artificial intelligence research. Essa’s choice suggests that the American pope’s stance on AI could become a new point of friction with the Trump government.
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Nas In recent weeks, Leão XIV has made tough speeches about the direction of international politics and has warned several times about the risks of artificial intelligence. Last week, during a speech at the largest university in Europa, he criticized the use of technology in wars and cited the conflicts in Ucrânia, Gaza, Líbano and Irã as examples of an “inhumane evolution of the relationship between war and new technologies in a spiral of annihilation”. The pope also angered Estados Unidos president Donald Trump after criticizing the war involving Irã.
Temas central parts of the encyclical
The encyclical will address the following points:
- Ascensão of artificial intelligence and its social and moral impacts
- Direitos of workers and decent working conditions
- Conflitos armed ongoing in the world
- Orientação by Igreja Católica on technology and humanity
- Responsabilidade morality of nations and companies
Vaticano’s decision to invite a co-founder of an AI company to launch the document reinforces the importance that the pope attaches to the debate on technology. Leão XIV demonstrates a willingness to engage directly with private sector leaders and contemporary issues that affect billions of people.
Papal Posicionamento in geopolitical context
The pontiff takes a firm stance on issues that have historically divided international public opinion. Sua’s criticism of contemporary wars and the application of technology in conflicts places Igreja Católica in a stance that can amplify disagreements with government administrations, particularly that of Estados Unidos.
The choice to launch its first encyclical with an emphasis on labor rights connects Leão XIV with the social tradition of Igreja that began more than a century ago. The document will be delivered in a context of intense global political polarization, where issues of technology, work and armed conflict are among the most debated. The presence of the American leader in the papal office and his willingness to confront sensitive issues indicate a change in the way Roma approaches international politics and the relationship between faith and technology.
