The Vatican officially announced this Monday that the first encyclical of the pontificate of Leo XIV will be published on May 25 under the title Magnifica humanitas, a document dedicated to “the safeguarding of the human person in the age of artificial intelligence”.
The confirmation comes after several weeks of speculation and delays regarding a text that was initially scheduled for mid-May and had already generated great anticipation both inside and outside the Church.
The encyclical will be dated May 15, coinciding with the 135th anniversary of Rerum novarum, the historic social encyclical of Leo XIII that gave rise to the modern social doctrine of the Church.
Leo XIV places artificial intelligence at the center of his pontificate
With Magnifica humanitas, Leo XIV makes artificial intelligence and its anthropological, cultural, and social consequences the first major doctrinal theme of his pontificate.
The subtitle of the document —“on the safeguarding of the human person in the age of artificial intelligence”— confirms the encyclical’s focus, centered on the defense of the person in the face of the challenges posed by technological development.
A parallel with the industrial revolution of Leo XIII
The choice of the date May 15 reinforces the historical parallel that Leo XIV appears to want to establish between the industrial revolution of the 19th century and the current technological revolution marked by artificial intelligence.
In 1891, Leo XIII published Rerum novarum, the document that systematically addressed the social conflicts arising from industrial capitalism and the working world.
Now, Leo XIV places the Church before a new epochal change marked by automation, digitalization, and the ethical challenges posed by artificial intelligence.
Victor Manuel Fernández to participate in the presentation
The official presentation of the encyclical will take place on May 25 in the Synod Hall and will be attended by the Pontiff himself.
Among the participants will be Cardinal Victor Manuel Fernández, Prefect of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, and Cardinal Michael Czerny, Prefect of the Dicastery for the Service of Integral Human Development.
Also speaking will be theologian Anna Rowlands, from the University of Durham; Christopher Olah, co-founder of Anthropic and head of research on artificial intelligence interpretability; and Professor Leocadie Lushombo, lecturer in political theology and Catholic social thought at the Jesuit School of Theology / Santa Clara University.
The first major magisterial text of the new pontificate
Magnifica humanitas will be the first major magisterial document of Leo XIV and one of the most anticipated texts of this early pontificate.
The publication will allow for a clearer understanding of the intellectual and doctrinal orientation of the new Pope regarding one of the most relevant debates of our time: the impact of artificial intelligence on work, education, communication, culture, and the very understanding of the human being.