Magnifica Humanitas

Earlier this year, I talked with a newly-minted theology MA about the relationship between AI and spirituality. I suggested Pope Leo XIV might have something to say. With the publication of the encyclical Magnifica Humanitas, he’s said it. The Pope’s namesake, Leo XIII, led the Church during the second half of the 19th century. It was a time of social unrest triggered by technological changes: the Industrial Revolution precipitated the exploitation of workers and its counteraction in Marxism. Both dehumanized societies. The Church’s response was Rerum Novarum (1891), an encyclical that promoted both the rights of workers and free markets. It offered a sensible middle path between anything-goes capitalism and atheistic socialism, and set the foundations for the Catholic Church’s modern social positions. In choosing the name Leo XIV, the current Pope hinted at continuing this work. It’s certainly needed: digital technologies — and AI in particular — are at least as transformative as…