"The Magnificent Humanity"
“The magnificent humanity created by God now faces a decisive choice: to erect a new Tower of Babel or to build the city where God and humanity dwell together.”The opening wordsof Leo XIV’s first encyclical—Magnifica humanitas, “on the protection of the human person in the age of artificial intelligence”—summarize its fundamental reasons and objective. Published today, Monday, May 25, it was signed by the Supreme Pontiff on May 15, on the occasion of the 135th anniversary of the promulgation of Rerum novarum by Leo XIII. And Pope Leo XIV has taken up the legacy of his predecessor by drafting a social encyclical that addresses one of the main challenges of the contemporary era: artificial intelligence.
Divided into five chapters, plus an introduction and a conclusion,*Magnifica humanitas*begins with a premise: technology is not an“antagonistic force in relation to the person,” nor is it“an evil in itself.” However,“it is not neutral, for it takes on the face of those who design, finance, regulate, and use it”. Hence the Pope’s call to“build the good” and to “remain human, ” following the logic of courageous co-responsibility, subsidiarity, and communion, so that“the world may recognize… in the heart of the human person, the place where God desires to dwell.”
The social doctrine of the Church is a theology of communion
The first chapter—A Dynamic Thought Faithful to the Gospel—traces the evolution of the Church’s Social Doctrine (CSD) in recent magisterial teaching and at the Second Vatican Council, highlighting“its dynamic character.”Far from being“a collection of principles and norms to be applied, ” the SSDC is rather “a path of communal discernment,”a“theology of communion in history” that guides the interpretation of events in the light of the Gospel. Leo XIV recalls the thought of his predecessors: from Pius XII—the first to use the expression“social doctrine of the Church”in the 1950 apostolic exhortationMenti nostrae—to Pope Francis, naturally includingRerum novarumof 1891, described as“a milestone in the evolution of the social magisterium”(30). In their respective eras, each successor of Peter“has highlighted different aspects of a single heritage: the dignity of the person, the value of work, the universal destination of goods, solidarity and subsidiarity, the care of creation, and the centrality of peace and fraternity.”
Protecting human dignity: People are not resources to be exploited
In the second chapter, Leo XIV liststhe “foundations and principles of the Church’s social doctrine”: among the first, he cites the dignity of the person, created in the image and likeness of God. It is necessary to recall this because the pressure exerted by“new ideologies” andby“certain very powerful interests”can reduce the person to a“resource to be used and exploited”or to“what they achieve or produce.” On the contrary,“the fundamental dignity of every person is not acquired, is not earned, and does not need to be demonstrated.” A second foundation of the SDC is the inviolability of human rights, foremost among which is the right to life“from conception to its natural end”: in this regard, Pope Leo XIV defines induced abortion, the murder of the innocent, and euthanasia as“gravely illicit choices.”The third foundation is the recognition of the rights of minorities, with particular attention to women: on their behalf, the Supreme Pontiff callsfor “concrete choices”in the areas of law, work, education, and social and political responsibilities, so that they may be truly heard and valued.
It is immoral and unacceptable to eliminate or enslave a nation
As for the principles of the DSE, Leo XIV sets forth five: the first is the common good,“the social expression of the dignity recognized in every person.”On one point, the Pope is particularly categorical:“The promotion of the common good can never be separated from respect for the right of peoples to exist, to preserve their identity, and to contribute their uniqueness to the family of nations.” Consequently,“any attempt or plan aimed at eliminating or subjugating a nation is gravely immoral and therefore unacceptable.”
Technology should not be concentrated in the hands of a few
The second principle concerns the universal destination of goods: here and elsewhere in the encyclical, Leo XIV emphasizes the need to ensure that knowledge and technology are not concentrated in the hands of a few, thereby widening the gap between those who are included in and those who are excluded from the digital revolution. From this flow the third and fourth principles: subsidiarity—which requires moving beyond paternalism and welfare dependency in favor of shared responsibility—and solidarity,a “principle and virtue”that opposes indifference and takes into account future peoples and generations.
Social justice and migrants as a “test”
The fifth principle of the DSE outlined by the Pope is social justice: in the digital age, it must ensure equitable access to opportunities for all, protect the most vulnerable, combat hatred and misinformation, and subject the use of data and technologies to public oversight, “so that the criterion is not profit alone, but the dignity of every person and the good of peoples.” Leo XIV identifies migrants, refugees, and displaced persons asa “decisive test”in this area: the way society treats them shows“whether the idea of justice is guided by fear or by fraternity.” Hence the call to preserve the“right to hope”of those forced to leave, by guaranteeing them safe and legal routes, a dignified welcome, and integration; and to promote“the right to stay”for everyone on their own land, in peace and security, by addressingthe “root causes”of migration.
