Pope Leo XIV has established an internal working group dedicated to artificial intelligence, the Holy See announced on May 16. The creation of the commission coincides with the upcoming publication of the Pope’s first encyclical, Magnifica Humanitas (Magnificent Humanity), signed on May 15 and scheduled for public presentation on May 25.
The Encyclical: A Symbolic Date
The Pope chose to sign his encyclical on the 135th anniversary of Rerum Novarum, the foundational 1891 encyclical by Pope Leo XIII, from whom the current pontiff explicitly took his name. Rerum Novarum established the modern Catholic social doctrine during the industrial revolution, addressing workers’ rights, the limits of capitalism, and the duties of states.
Pope Leo XIV has repeatedly drawn an explicit parallel between the 19th-century industrial revolution and the ongoing digital revolution. In his view, artificial intelligence raises questions of the same nature: dignity of the human person, work, justice, and peace. The new encyclique is expected to frame the reflection on AI within this traditional structure of Catholic social thought.
The presentation of Magnifica Humanitas will take place on May 25 at 11:30 AM in the Synod Hall, with the Pope in attendance. The event will feature:
- Cardinal Víctor Manuel Fernández, Prefect of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith
- Cardinal Michael Czerny, Prefect of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development
- Christopher Olah, co-founder of Anthropic (United States), responsible for AI interpretability research
- Anna Rowlands, Professor of Political Theology and Catholic Social Doctrine at Durham University (UK)
- Dr. Léocadie Lushombo, Professor of Political Theology at the Jesuit School of Theology, Santa Clara University (California)
The choice of Christopher Olah is notable. Anthropic, the company behind the AI model Claude, has positioned itself as prioritizing safety and risk reduction. The company is currently in legal dispute with the Trump administration, which in February 2026 ordered all US agencies to stop using Anthropic’s technology and imposed sanctions after the firm refused to allow unrestricted military use of its AI.
The New Working Group
The inter-dicasterial commission, approved by the Pope on May 16, brings together representatives from seven Vatican bodies, including:
- The Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith
- The Pontifical Academy for Life
- The Pontifical Academy of Sciences
The commission will operate with a rotating presidency among participating institutions, under the Pope’s authority. Its stated objectives are to:
- Coordinate AI-related activities across Vatican institutions
- Share information and harmonize positions
- Define internal rules for AI use within the Holy See
- Analyze the effects of AI on human beings and humanity as a whole
According to the official Vatican communiqué, the creation of the working group is motivated by the rapid diffusion of artificial intelligence, its “potential effects on human beings and on humanity as a whole,” and “the Church’s concern for the dignity of every human person.”
Background: A Consistent Concern
This is not the Vatican’s first engagement with AI ethics. The Holy See launched the Rome Call for AI Ethics in 2020, a principles document to which Microsoft, IBM, and Cisco subscribed. Since then, the Vatican has published several sets of ethical guidelines covering AI in defense, education, and health. The constant message: technology must complement human intelligence, not replace it.
Pope Leo XIV, a former mathematics student and member of the Augustinian order, had already addressed the subject in June 2025 at a conference on AI. He acknowledged the “indisputable contributions” of generative AI to medicine and scientific research, but also questioned “its possible repercussions on humanity’s openness to truth and beauty, on our distinctive capacity to grasp reality.” The question of truth — central to Augustinian spirituality — appears central to his reflection, particularly regarding the mass diffusion of deepfake content.
The Pope has also warned priests against using AI to write their homilies and has spoken firmly against the uncontrolled military use of AI, denouncing what he called an “inhuman evolution” of the relationship between war and new technologies during an address at Rome’s La Sapienza University.
What Can We Expect?
Several questions arise as the Vatican positions itself in the global AI ethics landscape:
- Will the encyclical propose concrete regulatory principles, or will it remain at the level of doctrinal orientation?
- How will the working group interact with existing international frameworks, such as the EU AI Act or the various national AI safety institutes?
- Will the Vatican’s voice influence the ongoing rivalry between Washington, Beijing, and Brussels, where ethical considerations often take a back seat to technological competition?
- What practical guidelines will emerge for the 1.3 billion Catholics worldwide regarding the use of AI in daily life, education, and work?
The presentation on May 25 may offer initial answers. What is already clear is that Pope Leo XIV intends to make the Vatican a central moral authority in the global conversation on artificial intelligence — not by opposing the technology, but by insisting that its development remain anchored in the dignity of the human person.
