Pope Leo's First Encyclical Calls For Strict AI Limits And Apologizes For Vatican Role In Slavery
On Monday, May 25, 2026, at the Vatican, Pope Leo XIV issued the encyclical Magnifica Humanitas, apologizing for the Holy See's role in legitimizing slavery and urging strict limits on artificial intelligence.[1]
He wrote, "For this, in the name of the church, I sincerely ask for pardon," calling the Vatican's record on slavery "a wound in Christian memory." MS NOW The document calls for "robust legal frameworks, independent oversight, informed users and a political system that does not abdicate its responsibility" to regulate AI.[2] It says it is "not permissible" to entrust irreversible, lethal decisions to AI and urges that AI be "disarmed" from logics that turn it into instruments of domination, exclusion and death.[2]
The encyclical explicitly references 15th-century papal bulls such as Dum Diversas and Romanus Pontifex that authorized European rulers to subjugate and enslave non-Christians and ties them to the Doctrine of Discovery.[1] The Vatican repudiated the Doctrine of Discovery in 2023 but has not formally rescinded the underlying bulls, and the document notes Pope Leo XIII's 1888 statement was the first explicit papal condemnation of slavery.[1] Leo is history's first U.S.-born pope, and the encyclical notes his family history reportedly includes both enslaved people and slave owners.[1]
The Vatican launch included remarks by a co-founder of Anthropic, highlighting tensions between Leo's plea and current U.S. policy over access to AI technology.[2] Experts say the encyclical could become a benchmark in global AI debates.[2] NPR described the document as a sweeping critique of big tech and the concentration of data and decision-making in a few private firms.[3]
Show source details & analysis (3 sources)
📌 Key Facts
- On Monday, May 25, 2026, at the Vatican, Pope Leo XIV issued the encyclical Magnifica Humanitas and offered a historic apology for the Holy See’s role in legitimizing slavery.
- The encyclical explicitly references 15th‑century papal bulls such as Dum Diversas and Romanus Pontifex that authorized European rulers to subjugate and enslave non‑Christians, tying them to the later Doctrine of Discovery, which the Vatican repudiated in 2023 but has not formally rescinded the underlying bulls.
- Leo wrote, “For this, in the name of the church, I sincerely ask for pardon,” calling the Vatican’s record on slavery “a wound in Christian memory,” and the encyclical notes that Pope Leo XIII’s 1888 statement was the first explicit papal condemnation while earlier church institutions even held slaves.
- The document and reporting highlight that this encyclical comes from history’s first U.S.-born pope, whose family history reportedly includes both enslaved people and slave owners.
- In Magnifica Humanitas Leo calls for “robust legal frameworks, independent oversight, informed users and a political system that does not abdicate its responsibility” to regulate artificial intelligence.
- The encyclical declares it is impermissible to entrust irreversible, lethal decisions to AI systems, directly challenging efforts to automate wartime targeting and remote warfare.
- Leo criticizes a culture of power in the AI race, warns about the concentration of data and decision‑making in a small number of private tech firms (with particular risks for children and vulnerable populations), urges developers and political leaders to slow down and prioritize the common good, and says AI must be “disarmed” from logics that make it an instrument of domination, exclusion and death.
- The Vatican launch included remarks by a co-founder of Anthropic, who is involved in a legal dispute with the U.S. administration over access to AI technology, and experts say the encyclical is likely to become a benchmark reference for policymakers and researchers in global AI debates.
📰 Source Timeline (3)
Follow how coverage of this story developed over time
- On Monday, May 25, 2026, at a Vatican presentation of 'Magnifica Humanitas,' Pope Leo XIV called for 'robust legal frameworks, independent oversight, informed users and a political system that does not abdicate its responsibility' to regulate AI.
- The encyclical declares it is 'not permissible' to entrust irreversible, lethal decisions to AI systems, directly challenging efforts to automate wartime targeting and remote warfare.
- Leo criticizes a 'culture of power' in the AI race and warns about the concentration of data and decision-making in a small number of private tech firms, especially regarding impacts on children and vulnerable populations.
- The Vatican launch event included remarks by a co-founder of Anthropic, which is in a legal dispute with the Trump administration over access to its AI technology, underscoring tension between the pope's message and current U.S. policy.
- Leo characterizes AI as needing to be 'disarmed, freed from logics that turn it into an instrument of domination, exclusion and death,' and urges developers and political leaders to slow down, reflect, and prioritize the common good over profit or power.
- Experts in technology, academia, and Catholic ethics interviewed in the article say the encyclical is likely to become a benchmark reference point in global AI debates for policymakers and researchers.
- On Monday, May 25, 2026, at the Vatican, Pope Leo XIV issued a historic apology in his encyclical 'Magnifica Humanitas' for the Holy See’s role in legitimizing slavery and for failing to condemn it for centuries.
- Leo explicitly referenced 15th-century papal bulls such as 'Dum Diversas' and 'Romanus Pontifex' that authorized European rulers to subjugate and enslave 'Saracens, pagans and other infidels' and tied them to the later Doctrine of Discovery.
- He wrote, 'For this, in the name of the church, I sincerely ask for pardon,' calling the Vatican’s record on slavery 'a wound in Christian memory.'
- The article notes that while the Vatican repudiated the Doctrine of Discovery in 2023, it has never formally rescinded or abrogated the underlying bulls themselves.
- The piece highlights that Pope Leo XIII’s 1888 statement was the first explicit papal condemnation of slavery and that prior to that even church institutions held slaves.
- The article emphasizes Leo XIV is history’s first U.S.-born pope, with a family history that includes both enslaved people and slave owners, a biographical detail not previously linked to this encyclical’s content.