By Cedric Prakash
This is the first of a three-part series on Magnifica Humanitas, Pope Leo’s first encyclical.
Ahmedabad, May 31, 2026: On 25 May 2026, Pope Leo released his first encyclical ‘Magnifica Humanitas’ (Magnificent Humanity): On Safeguarding the Human Person in the time of Artificial Intelligence’.
In it, he makes a passionate plea for safeguarding humanity, promoting truth and freedom, the dignity of work, and advocating that the fundamentals of the universal destination of goods, subsidiarity, solidarity, human rights, social justice and peace should be paramount.
His message to the world was loud and clear: “be human, stay human!”
Pope Leo XIV signed his document ten days earlier, on 15 May which was the 135th anniversary of the promulgation of Pope Leo XIII’s powerful 1891 encyclical ‘Rerum Novarum (Of New Things): On the Condition of Labour’.
Pope Leo then, addressed the severe social and economic upheavals brought about by the Industrial Revolution.
It is widely considered as the foundational blueprint for modern social doctrine of the Catholic Church, as it marked the first time the Vatican systematically and purposefully intervened in contemporary socio-economic debates to defend the dignity and the rights of workers!
‘Magnifica Humanitas’ should come as no surprise to those who are aghast at what is happening in the world today and sincerely want to do something about it! No papal encyclical makes easy reading.
This masterpiece of 245 paragraphs, has five chapters, with an ‘Introduction’ and a ‘Conclusion’, all beautifully interwoven into a rich tapestry of a vision, mission and responsibility to address the realities of today’s world.
Pope Leo sets the tone and direction of his encyclical in his opening words, “Humanity, created by God in all its grandeur, is today facing a pivotal choice: either to construct a new Tower of Babel or to build the city in which God and humanity dwell together.
Each generation inherits the task of shaping its own era, of guiding history to become a place where the dignity of every person is safeguarded, justice is promoted and fraternity is made possible. Yet every era also runs the risk of creating an inhumane and more unjust world.”
The encyclical has a basic premise when it states, “While Leo XIII spoke in his time of “new things” (Rerum Novarum), today we cannot limit ourselves simply to repeating his insightful teachings. Instead, we must ask God for the wisdom to interpret the great trends of our time, particularly technological advances.
In recent years, it has become increasingly evident how rapidly and profoundly digitalization, artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics are transforming our world.
Technology should not be considered, in itself, as a force antagonistic to humanity. On the contrary, it has formed part of our history since the beginning as “a profoundly human reality, linked to the autonomy and freedom of man.”.
Pope Leo then asserts that, “technology is never neutral, because it takes on the characteristics of those who devise, finance, regulate, and use it”.
He appeals for people to build for the common good and to remain human, following a courageous mentality of shared responsibility and communion, so that the world “will come to recognize the human heart as the place where God desires to dwell”
The document is comprehensive. The ‘Introduction’ provides the ‘raison d’être’ and the immediacy of the content.
The first chapter, ‘A Dynamic Approach Faithful to the Gospel’, traces the Social Doctrine of the Church in recent magisterium and the Second Vatican Council, highlighting its dynamic character.
In the second chapter, Pope Leo XIV explores the ‘Foundations and Principles of the Social Doctrine of the Church’.
The third chapter, ‘Technology and Dominance: The Grandeur of Humanity in Light of the Promises of AI’, stresses the need to approach artificial intelligence with vigilance.
In the fourth chapter, ‘Safeguarding Humanity at a Time of Transformation. Truth, Work, Freedom’, the Pope calls for an ecology of communication based on truth.
In the fifth chapter, ‘The Culture of Power and the Civilization of Love’, Pope Leo XIV turns his gaze to war, saying “the digital revolution is changing the nature of conflict.”
The Pope calls for an ethical approach, without which decisions about the life and death of persons will become increasingly impersonal due to a use of force regarded as an “immediate and viable option”.
The ‘Conclusion’ points to the ‘road ahead’ giving one a spirituality for our time.
The Vatican ‘Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development’, has prepared an excellent five-page summary of the encyclical besides some useful resource materials.
No summary will do justice to the wealth encapsulated in this treatise: spiritual, theological, socio-political, cultural, technological, putting into focus the many serious realities which grip the world today.
Above all, there is an unmistakable positivity throughout — Pope Leo is unequivocal in stating that ‘another world is possible’, that there is hope provided we get our act together –individually and collectively, to be human! To stay human!
Jesuit Father Cedric Prakash is a human rights, reconciliation & peace activist and writer. Contact: cedricprakash@gmail.com.
(To be continued)