On Monday, 25 May, the official presentation ceremony of the first Encyclical of His Holiness Pope Leo XIV, entitled “Magnifica Humanitas”, took place at the Paul VI Hall in the Vatican, in the presence of Ambassadors accredited to the Holy See, members of the Diplomatic Corps, ecclesiastical representatives and numerous personalities from the academic and institutional world.
The event represented an important moment of reflection on the major transformations affecting the contemporary world, particularly regarding the relationship between human dignity, technological progress and ethical responsibility.
In the document, Pope Leo XIV addresses one of the central issues of our time: the protection of the human person in the age of artificial intelligence. The Encyclical offers a profound spiritual, social and cultural reflection on the impact of new technologies on the lives of individuals, communities and nations.
Through the biblical references to the Tower of Babel and the reconstruction of Jerusalem led by Nehemiah, the Holy Father invites the international community to choose between a technology oriented towards domination, concentration of power and uniformity, or a model of development based on solidarity, shared responsibility and the common good.
The Encyclical reaffirms the fundamental principles of the Church’s Social Doctrine — human dignity, social justice, solidarity, subsidiarity and integral human development — emphasizing the need for ethical governance of artificial intelligence and digital technologies.
Particular attention is devoted to the themes of truth and communication, the protection of human labour, individual and collective freedom, as well as the risks arising from the concentration of digital power in the hands of a few global actors. Pope Leo XIV also calls upon the international community to prevent the use of artificial intelligence for military purposes or for new forms of exploitation and inequality.
In his message, the Pontiff renews the appeal for dialogue among peoples, multilateral cooperation and the building of a “civilization of love”, in which technological progress is always placed at the service of the human person and peace.
The participation of the Diplomatic Corps accredited to the Holy See confirmed the global importance of the themes addressed in the Encyclical and the central role of international dialogue in promoting a more just, inclusive and sustainable human development.