The American Robert Prevost succeeded Pope Francis as the new leader of the Catholic Church on May 8 last year. Just over a year later, Leo XIV published his first encyclical, an important religious and moral document that is part of the social teaching of the Church. The text is all about how humans deal with technology and artificial intelligence, and given the subject it will reach much further than just the community of Catholic clergy and believers.
What does the Pope have with tech and AI? “Technology enters the world of feelings and of human dignity and closeness, and the Pope cannot ignore that,” said Robert Ballecer, 51, an American technology specialist who grew up in Silicon Valley and ran a tech company there with his father before joining the Jesuits, the religious order to which the late Francis belonged. In addition to being a tech podcaster, Ballecer is a frequent interviewee on the intersection between technology, AI and religion.
The encyclical Magnifica humanitas (‘beautiful humanity’) is certainly not a rejection of technology and AI – the Pope recognizes the benefits of technology, but does make important comments. Technology increases our access to knowledge and communication, but with the risk of propaganda. Scientific and technological progress, even in the medical field, is not easily accessible to the vast majority of people, as was evident during the pandemic, the encyclical states.
According to the tech Jesuit Ballecer, the papal message is above all a strong call not to lose sight of human dignity in a world in which technology and AI are rapidly taking up more and more space. The document was presented at the Vatican on Monday, but Pope Leo XIV had already signed it on May 15, the 135th anniversary of Rerum Novarum (‘About the new things’). That 1891 encyclical by Leo
The ‘new things’ to which Rerum Novarum referred to were the drastic changes during the Industrial Revolution. „Magnifica humanitas refers to the fundamental change of the information and technology revolution, which culminates with the rise of artificial intelligence,” says Robert Ballecer during a conversation in the podcast studio of the Jesuit order, a stone’s throw from St. Peter’s Basilica. “That makes this encyclical on this theme the most important document for the Church in a hundred years.”
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Infinite dignity of man
Tim Brys (39) is a Belgian computer scientist affiliated with the AI lab of the Vrije Universiteit Brussel, with a master’s degree in religion in Lebanon. He wrote the book And then there was AI. How to remain human in the midst of machines? and calls the papal encyclical a necessary moral guideline on the position of humans in the tech and AI revolution. “The pope’s starting point is the infinite and inherent dignity of man. Every person, regardless of his ability or efficiency, is worth infinitely, he says, and he says we must preserve that,” says Brys on the phone.
Another principle is that humans must always remain the goal, the AI specialist continues. An economic principle is that human labor is a means of building capital. “But the social teaching of the Church turns this around: capital exists to enable man to work, and in a dignified way. People should never become the means, and certain people should not become means for other people to achieve their ends.” For example, the Pope addresses the monopolies of the super-rich and large Big Tech companies, without explicitly mentioning them by name.
Because a papal encyclical is intended as a timeless document, it does not mention countries, current conflicts or leaders by name. But the text does contain many references to war and conflict, and to what the Pope describes as a “culture of power.” In this way he also returns to the theory of the ‘just war’, of which Saint Augustine is a founder. Most recently, Leo
Tim Brys, computer scientist at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel.
Photo Naomi Herremans
Vance advised the pope to “be careful when he talks about theology,” including after Leo XIV said on Palm Sunday that God does not listen to the prayers of those who wage war. That was interpreted by many as a finger pointing at US President Donald Trump, who hosted a group of Christian leaders in the Oval Office for a prayer service in early March. While praying, they asked for God’s mercy and protection for the American president and the army.
“God does not bless any conflict,” the Pope later posted X. “Anyone who is a follower of Christ, the Prince of Peace, is never on the side of those who used to wield the sword and today drop bombs.” Vance was not pleased with Leo’s comments, which he said ignore “more than a thousand years of tradition of just war theory.”
In his encyclical, Pope Leo The encyclical states that this theory is too often used to justify any form of war, and that humanity has far more effective and appropriate means of resolving conflict, such as dialogue, diplomacy and forgiveness.
At the same time, the Pope denounces the “normalization of war” and warns about the risks of technology in warfare. “No algorithm can make war morally acceptable,” the encyclical states. Ballecer interprets it this way: “Technology weakens the sense of moral responsibility. Through AI we are able to separate our choice for war from the moral consequences.” But humans remain responsible, Ballecer emphasizes: “The fact that AI chooses an Iranian girls’ school as a target does not make humans less liable for the missile attack that follows.”
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Peace is more than the absence of war
Even without naming countries or leaders, the references to current conflicts and the breakdown of the international order are crystal clear, according to Tim Brys. “With peace you lose nothing, with war you can lose everything – that is a strong quote,” says the AI specialist. “Peace is more than the absence of war – that is one of my favorite passages,” adds Ballecer. “Leo calls peace the fruit of justice and charity. According to him, societies characterized by exclusion, inequality and exploitation cannot maintain true peace, and that is why this leads to war.” It could easily be about the occupied Palestinian territories, Ballecer acknowledges.
The encyclical serves as a guiding document for all Catholics. But will Leo’s message also reach further, for example to warring leaders and to venture capitalists and big tech guys and girls in Silicon Valley? “The West is of course a lot less religious than at the time Rerum Novarum“, says Tim Brys. “But the fact that Pope Leo is nowadays seen as the voice of reason against Donald Trump also means that Leo’s moral authority is recognized.”
Tech Jesuit Robert Ballecer.
PHOTO Tony Hsieh
Robert Ballecer expects that Trump will not even respond to the text, and that JD Vance will quickly reject Leo’s message. “And the tech investors are so stuck in their worldview that focuses on profit and automation that they also ignore this text,” thinks the tech Jesuit. “But they will consider how this affects their customers worldwide.”
He reads the text as a “call to action”: “The encyclical asks a number of questions that lead to self-reflection, and is thus an invitation to proactively think about our attitude towards AI and what kind of society we want,” says Ballecer. “The Pope also gives priests the task to become more concerned with issues surrounding technology, because merely meeting the spiritual needs of their parishioners is not enough. That is quite a revolutionary message.”
“The pace of development is so fast and technological progress is so dramatic that we can no longer afford the luxury of waiting to see what each technological breakthrough will bring and then trying to mitigate the consequences,” the tech priest concludes. “Because then there is no way back.”
