Sometimes it pays to go behind
a piece of writing to conduct a genealogy of the writer himself or herself, rather
than to dive into the writing itself. On May 25, 2026, the fourteenth Pope Leo
of the Roman Catholic Church spoke at the Vatican on his first “social”
encyclical, Magnifica Humanitas (magnificent humanity), which he had signed
ten days earlier. An encyclical is known as a teaching (magisterium)
instrument used by the papacy to communicate the Church’s position on a topic. In
presenting his encyclical, the pope “described the current technological
revolution as an ‘epochal turning point’ comparable to the upheaval confronted
by Pope Leo XIII during the industrial Revolution.”[1]
That pope’s emphasis on the ethical dimension of an economy, especially with
regard to inequality and the related marginalization, was the reason why Robert
Prevost chose the name Leo when he accepted the vote in favor of him becoming
the next pope after Francis, another social-justice-oriented pope. Lions may
indeed come late in the summer, or, sadly, not at all (for even willful,
bullying Leos can actually be cowardly, as in Oz), but Leo XIV was already
charging voraciously ahead in May, consummating his nomenclature-rationale in words
that ensconced his Church firmly in the twenty-first century (in utter contrast
to Joe Ratzinger’s antiquarian corrupt administration). All of the media buzz
aside, however, if the previous Pope Leo (XIII) actually had had little or no
normative influence on what would be harsh (even child!) labor conditions later
in the first half of the twentieth century in Europe and North America, then a
clear-eyed observer in 2026 could already be skeptical as to the practical significance
of Magnifica Humanitas on managers and programmers in Silicon Valley
going forward. Moreover, the foray of religion onto AI technology, and even
ethics, the latter of which is distinct from albeit related to religion, can be
criticized as an instance of dogmatic over-reaching.
The full essay is at "Magnifica Humanitas."
1. Linda Bordoni, “Pope Leo Presents ‘Magnifica Humanitas’ Calling for Disarmament of AI,” Vatican News, 25 May, 2026.
