Magnifica Humanitas (lit. 'magnificent humanity') is the first encyclical of Pope Leo XIV, concerned with "preserving the human person in the age of artificial intelligence". It was published on 25 May 2026.
Leo XIV chose to present the encyclical personally at the Vatican, unlike most other popes who delegated this task to cardinals. The presentation was attended by AI experts, including Anthropic co-founder Chris Olah.
The encyclical was the first to be published without an official Latin version first. This followed a recent change to Vatican regulations permitting such documents to be drafted in other languages.
Background and release
Since the beginning of his pontificate, Pope Leo XIV expressed concerns regarding the rise of artificial intelligence, the crises of human dignity, and multilateralism. The date of the encyclical's publication was selected to fall on the 135th anniversary of the publication of Rerum novarum, the landmark encyclical regarding industrialisation written by Leo XIV's namesake Pope Leo XIII.
At the start of May 2026, the Pope approved an Interdicasterial Commission on Artificial Intelligence which would be made up of representatives from seven departments of the Roman Curia: the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development, the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, the Dicastery for Culture and Education, the Dicastery for Communication, the Pontifical Academy for Life, the Pontifical Academy of Sciences, and the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences. The commission would "facilitate collaboration and the exchange of information among group members regarding activities and projects related to Artificial Intelligence, including policies on its use within the Holy See, while promoting dialogue, communion, and participation".
Anthropic co-founder Chris Olah was invited to speak at the Vatican's presentation of the encyclical on 25 May 2026. Olah praised the Vatican's role as "informed critics" and the beginning of a "long collaboration between those of us who are building this and those who can see what we, from inside, cannot". The other experts speaking at the presentation alongside Leo XIV were Professor Anna Rowlands, Cardinal Víctor Manuel Fernández, Cardinal Michael Czerny, and Professor Léocadie Lushombo.
