Inside “Magnifica Humanitas”: Pope Leo XIV Rejects Transhumanism
Italian journalist Nico Spuntoni offers an exclusive preview of the Pope’s first encyclical on safeguarding the human person in the age of AI.
ROME, 24 May 2026 — One day before the release of Magnifica Humanitas, Pope Leo XIV’s forthcoming encyclical on safeguarding the human person in the age of artificial intelligence, Italian journalist Nico Spuntoni has obtained an exclusive preview of its contents. Originally published today in Italian by La Nuova Bussola Quotidiana, the article is reproduced below in English translation with the kind permission of the author.
The Pope Rejects Transhumanism: Here’s What’s in the Encyclical
by Nico Spuntoni
In just a few hours, Magnifica Humanitas, the first encyclical of the pontificate of Pope Leo XIV, will be officially presented. Prevost signed the document on May 15, the 135th anniversary of Rerum Novarum, the landmark encyclical of his predecessor Pope Leo XIII. It is already well known that its central theme will be the safeguarding of the human person in the age of artificial intelligence.
But what will we actually read in this much-anticipated encyclical? We can offer some preview. The Pope’s central argument is that Magnifica Humanitas, when confronted with technological progress, stands before a crossroads between self-sufficiency and solidarity. The text presents this alternative through biblical imagery. The danger of humanity’s excessive power over itself — a concept already explored by Pope Benedict XVI in Spe Salvi — is here reconsidered in light of the development of artificial intelligence and digitalization.
The encyclical deepens and extends the remarks the newly elected Pope made to the cardinals when he explained that he had chosen his papal name in homage to Rerum Novarum, which “addressed the social question in the context of the first great industrial revolution,” whereas “today the Church offers everyone the treasure of its social doctrine in response to another industrial revolution and to developments in artificial intelligence, which pose new challenges for the defense of human dignity, justice, and labor.”
Catholic social teaching once again takes center stage in this document. It is presented not as a rigid set of rules, but as something living — a way of relating to society and to others. Prevost had already expressed this idea in the preface to a 2024 book by his friend and fellow Augustinian, John Lydon. Magnifica Humanitas dismisses accusations of undue interference by social doctrine, insisting on its engagement with contemporary realities while at the same time grounding it firmly in Christ rather than in sociology.
The Pope strongly emphasizes the role of discernment, which serves to guide human action in an age increasingly shaped by familiarity with artificial intelligence. In this year’s message for the World Day of Social Communications, reflecting on the transformations brought about by digital technology, Leo XIV cited Gregory of Nyssa, who taught that “to be created in the image of God means that from the very moment of creation, a royal character was impressed upon humanity.”
These themes return in the encyclical, where the Pope defends the dignity that belongs to every person simply because he or she is willed, created, and loved by God. The safeguarding of human dignity is presented as the criterion for judging what is good and what is not, even in the sphere of technological development. What concerns the Pope above all is the risk of moral irresponsibility arising from the use of artificial intelligence, and for this reason the encyclical expands upon warnings he had already issued during the first year of his pontificate.
One example was his message for the International Day of Mathematics, in which Leo XIV called for the use of algorithms that respect “the integral growth of the person” and do not exclude “the moral dimension of these emerging technologies.”
The mathematically trained Pope criticizes those who, through recourse to technology, seek to transcend the human condition itself. Instead, he praises what, in a significant address to members of the Board of the Vatican Observatory Foundation, he called a “healthy sense of proportion.” His concerns are directed especially toward the impact of artificial intelligence on human relationships and the social fabric. Thus Magnifica Humanitas develops the Pope’s recent appeal “to commit ourselves to promoting forms of communication that always respect the truth of the human person, toward which every technological innovation must be directed,” while also raising the question of the relationship between technology and freedom.
Finally, it is clear that the Pope who first appeared before the world with the words “peace be with you,” and who later clashed with Donald Trump over the conflict in Iran, could hardly avoid addressing the role of new technologies in warfare. In keeping with the traditional position of the Holy See, the defense of multilateralism emerges as unavoidable at a time when it appears more fragile than ever. And while the call for an ethical use of artificial intelligence applies generally, it becomes even more urgent when weapons are involved.
Ultimately, Leo’s encyclical is not opposed to AI; rather, from a characteristically Augustinian perspective, it seeks to guide it toward the realization of the common good. To this end, Magnifica Humanitas reiterates what the Pope told the Centesimus Annus Pro Pontifice Foundation when he expressed the hope that humanity might recover and strengthen confidence in its own capacity to shape the development of these technologies. And it is striking that Leo, while addressing such a thoroughly contemporary issue, should feel compelled to point to contemplation of the Incarnate Word as the indispensable path out of the “eclipse of the meaning of what it is to be human,” as he recently stated.
This focus on the "common good," while well intentioned, can deflect from our moral responsibilities, both personally and to God and our families. Too often the "common good" theme leads to a push for more government involvement through social welfare programs and NGO funding. I wish our Church hierarchy would first focus on our primary responsibilities to have deep, meaningful relationships with the Trinity, the Blessed Mother, our parents, kids and extended families.
Can't wait to read tomorrow! All the addresses where he has spoken about technology, mathematics and AI have been really interesting. Also, no better time than now with religion becoming more and more an online club than actually living it out and attending mass and forging real relationships. Most of us have become puppets of an algorithm either we know it or not; making enemies that don't even exist just because I see something on X or such.