In a development that marks a significant moment in the long conversation between organized religion and emerging technology, Pope Leo XIV is set to release a formal encyclical addressing artificial intelligence on May 25th — placing the Roman Catholic Church squarely within an ongoing debate that has occupied ethicists, governments, and technologists for decades.
Papal encyclicals carry considerable doctrinal weight, functioning as official letters to the global Catholic faithful that establish moral and philosophical guidance. The Church has historically used this instrument to respond to transformative social and technological shifts — from industrialization in the late 19th century to nuclear weapons in the mid-20th. Pope Leo XIII's 1891 encyclical Rerum Novarum, for instance, addressed the human dignity concerns raised by industrial capitalism, a document still cited in labor ethics discussions today.
The decision to dedicate an entire encyclical to artificial intelligence reflects how seriously the Vatican views AI not merely as a technical matter, but as a profound question about human nature, free will, and the dignity of persons. Earlier Vatican engagements with AI had already begun laying groundwork — notably the 2020 Rome Call for AI Ethics, co-signed by Microsoft and IBM, which introduced the concept of 'algoretica,' or algorithm ethics.
The broader arc here is clear: just as religious institutions helped shape societal responses to the printing press, the Industrial Revolution, and the rise of nuclear power, the Church is now positioning itself as a moral voice in the AI era. Whether this encyclical will carry the lasting influence of Rerum Novarum remains to be seen, but its very existence signals that the ethical reckoning around artificial intelligence has now reached the highest levels of one of the world's oldest and most influential institutions. For historians of technology and religion alike, May 25th is a date worth marking.