Magnifica Humanitas – Introduction and Chapter 1
Last week I wrote an article with general comments on Pope Leo’s XIV’s new encyclical, Magnifica Humanitas As I continue my own study of it, I would like to offer the following reflection on the introduction and first chapter.
One does not need to look any further than the title page of Pope Leo XIV’s new encyclical, Magnifica Humanitas, to know where his main concern lies in this encyclical. He does not write with political motives. Rather, right after his name, it reads, “On Safeguarding the Human Person in the Time of Artificial Intelligence.” Yes, he writes concerning artificial intelligence (AI) but his concern is for humanity. His concern, as should be our concern, is that every single human person is treated with the dignity they deserve as created in the image of God.
Pope Leo begins the introduction by pointing us to a pivotal choice we all face. He describes the choice as to either build a new Tower of Babel or to build a city where God and humanity can dwell together (1). We do well to choose the latter. Pope Leo writes, “Each generation inherits the task of shaping its own era, of guiding history to become a place where the dignity of every person is safeguarded, justice is promoted and fraternity is made possible. Yet every era also runs the risk of creating an inhumane and more unjust world” (1). Which do you choose?
I hope and pray that everyone answers by choosing dignity, justice, and fraternity. I hope and pray that no one would say they would make a choice against human development, but people may have different opinions on what constitutes human development. In Magnifica Humanitas, Pope Leo seeks to give us the tools we need to ensure “the integral human development of every human being” (2, emphasis added).
In my article last week, I spoke of those who think the Church should stay out of politics. This is not a new thought. Pope Leo XIV writes regarding the first social encyclical Rerum Novarum, “When some objected that the Church should not waste energy on worldly matters, but instead focus on communicating the message of eternal life, Leo XIII responded with realism and wisdom, saying that the proclamation of the Gospel cannot overlook the concrete lives of people” (3). He goes on to write regarding the Social Doctrine of the Church, “It is not an inert set of concepts, but a living corpus of truth that safeguards and interprets humanity’s vocation to a full and just life” (3). To be concerned as Pope Leo describes is to fulfill what Jesus says is the second greatest commandment, love your neighbor. What does loving your neighbor mean to you?
Pope Leo then goes on to recognize how new technology has helped improve “the living conditions of humanity” (4). At the same time, he speaks of how technology can cause harm. He writes of the challenge and responsibility we face to use technology well (see 5).
Technology is changing rapidly. Pope Leo writes to lead everyone to a “shared discernment process” (6) as to promote morality in the way we use of new technologies like AI. We must ask the crucial questions, “Where are we going? Toward what goal do we wish to orient ourselves? What direction should we choose as a people and as a human community? (6).
Even Jack Clark, co-founder of Anthropic and Marina Favora, head of the Anthropic Institute, recently wrote calling to slow down the development of AI (see “Anthropic urges ‘pause’ or ‘slowdown’ of AI development after Leo’s encyclical” by Tyler Arnold. 6/5/26. Catholic News Agency. https://www.ewtnnews.com/world/us/anthropic-ai-warning).
Pope Leo then returns to the image of Tower of Babel. The people sought to build a tower to make a name for themselves, seeking “stability and power for themselves” (7, cf. Genesis 11:1-9). Pope Leo describes it as “a project conceived without reference to God” (7). Here I think of Psalm 127:1, “Unless the Lord build the house, they labor in vain who build.” If we want AI to be good for humanity, its development must involve the dignity of every human being.” Anything less is not good development.
Lest one thing that Pope Leo seeks to impose the Church’s teaching on all, he writes from the first two chapters of the Book of Nehemiah, “He did not impose solutions from above” (8). Pope Leo writes of the process used by Nehemiah to ensure God was at the center of their rebuilding of Jerusalem (8). Pope Leo speaks of how in doing so, “ancient Jerusalem rediscovers a common language” (8). We do so not by everyone choosing their own way as relativism would have us do. We find a common language in doing God’s Will, seeking His Truth.
Pope Leo reminds us that technology is neither good or evil in itself. It only becomes good or evil in the way we choose to use it (9). This is true of many earthly things. Our use of technology should not exclude God or reduce some people to only be a means to the goals of those who hold power (10). It is only in seeking God, not technology, that we find happiness. As St. Augustine writes, “You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our heart is restless until it rests in you” (as quoted by Pope Leo in paragraph 11).
Some speak of the good that technology can accomplish but the technology itself should not become the goal. As Pope Leo writes, technology must not “exacerbate inequalities, and in immediate solutions incapable of healing people’s wounds” (11).
Turning to chapter one, Pope Leo speaks of how we must seek not to impose our faith and ethics on others but rather to walk with humanity with God’s Truth and Ways at hand. Here he speaks of the distinction between “ecclesial and political communities” (18). He writes of the Church, “She recognizes today’s questions and challenges as the current setting in which to carry out her particular vocation of listening, dialogue and service, and of being responsive to everything concerning the lives of contemporary men and women” (19). We must remember that we are created in the image of God (see Genesis 1:27). We become the best version of ourselves when we consider what God created us to be. The Church, led by the Holy Spirit, helps us do this.
Pope Leo goes on to write more of the role of the Church in comparison to the state in paragraph 21. As the Church, we concerned with the “real suffering of the men and women of our time” (21). The state should share in this concern. It is our role as the Church to speak in consideration of suffering and how people are treated. We need “to listen to and distinguish the many voices and to interpret them in the light of God’s word, in order that the revelated Truth may be more deeply penetrated, better understood and more suitable presented” (22 as quoted from Gaudium et Spes, 44).
The Church values human knowledge as our human ability to reason is a gift from God. Yet, the Word of God should serve as a foundation for the way we think and enter into collective discernment (see paragraphs 23-24).
As Pope Leo writes, the Church’s Social Doctrine “is born from the encounter between the eternal truth of the Gospel and the questions of history” (27). Our faith is meant to guide us in an ever-changing world. We find our own mission as a Church in this for we are not simply to acknowledge the unrest and injustice in the world. We need to allow the Holy Spirit to guide us to real solutions that flow from the gospel to ensure the dignity of each person (29). Humanity and its rights must take “precedence over capital and profit” (30).
Pope Leo continues by writing of what some of the social encyclicals of the 20th century offer here. Referring to Saint John XXIII, “In Matera et Magistra, he presented the Christian faith as a light capable of uniting heaven and earth” (33, emphasis added).
As we seek to improve our human development, Pope Leo writes of St. Paul VI, “In Populorum Progressio, he described development as a transition from less humane to more humane living conditions” (35).
Then turning to St. Paul VI’s Octogesima Adveniens, Pope Leo writes of how the gospel message is not outdated. “Instead, it offers a vision of the human person, relationships, authority and the common good that is still capable of guiding economic, political, and cultural choices today. In other words, the Gospel remains relevant because it provides the criteria for recognizing what humanizes or dehumanizes and what liberates or oppresses in ever-changing situations” (36).
It even involves how we see work. I have heard some people of how AI will make work obsolete. Here, Pope Leo writes, “Work is not considered simply as a problem to be dealt with or a means of generating income, but a fundamental good for the person, a principle of economic activity and the key to the entire societal question” (37, emphasis added). God created us and gave us gifts to use in our work for the building of humanity as we seek to build his kingdom (see 1 Corinthians 12). When we understand this, work is not simply an obligation. It fulfills us and who we are meant to be.
This brings us to the end of chapter one of Magnifica Humanitas. I hope what I have written so far helps you to understand the immense value of the gift Pope Leo, led by the Holy Spirit, has given us in this encyclical. Stay tuned for more to come.
Peace,
Fr. Jeff