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Hello, I'm Gina Christian of OSV News. And you're listening to a special edition of our OSV Newscast for Monday, May 25th, 2026. Here in the U.S., it's Memorial Day when we remember with gratitude and prayer all of those who have given their lives for our nation. And today is also the day on which Pope Leo XIV officially released his first encyclical, which calls for safeguarding human dignity in the age of artificial intelligence. We're on the ground at the Vatican and here in the U.S. bringing you all the details and deep dives on this papal document, so let's get you caught up on what has been the Catholic news of this day. And let's start with the basics. What's an encyclical in the first place? Well, it's a pastoral letter addressed by the Pope to the whole church. These letters usually speak about matters of faith or morals or certain devotions and disciplines, but Pope Leo's first encyclical is focused on artificial intelligence, which has become a key issue. The document is titled Magnifica Humanitas, which is Latin for magnificent humanity. Pope Leo was joined at today's press conference by senior Vatican officials, theologians, and Christopher Ola, one of the founders of the AI research and safety firm Anthropic. Our Vatican editor Courtney Morris was on hand, and as she notes in her overview article, Pope Leo compares the attempt to build an AI future that excludes God to the Tower of Babel, and the Pope underlines the need to safeguard human dignity as it's threatened by new forms of dehumanization. Pope Leo points to Catholic social teaching, which articulates how we can live out the gospel amid the modern world and its challenges as the framework for making sure AI helps rather than harms human dignity. Pope Leo said the risk of dehumanization, of building a future that excludes God and reduces the other to a means is an ancient and ever new temptation that today takes on a technical guise. And there's a parallel to the Pope's message. He signed the encyclical back on May 15th, which was the 135th anniversary of another encyclical, Rerum Novarum, Pope Leo XIII's foundational 1891 social document on labor and capital, which was written during the Industrial Revolution. Pope Leo XIV's new encyclical is divided into five chapters, and it touches on wide-ranging issues related to AI, including the prospect of massive unemployment, the future of education, the protection of human freedom, excessive screen time for young people, cryptocurrencies, economic disparities, transhumanism, cyber attacks, and the application of Catholic social doctrine principles. The Pope dedicated the final chapter of the document to AI in warfare and the need for rigorous ethical constraints and proactive peace building to curb the technological arms race. The Pope said, in the era of artificial intelligence, where human dignity is threatened by new forms of dehumanization, ours is the pressing duty to remain profoundly human. He added, We must lovingly safeguard the grandeur of humanity bestowed upon us and revealed in its fullness in Christ, the splendor of which no machine can ever replace. In his address at today's press conference, Pope Leo called for vigilance regarding AI, saying his conversations with industry leaders, including very troubling voices, who warned of autonomous weapons systems beyond effective human governance, had led him to the conviction that AI must be disarmed. In fact, the Pope said the encyclical was born from listening to scientists, educators, parents, and tech leaders, including those who raised concerns about algorithms that deny health care jobs and security using data tainted by prejudice and injustice. The Pope compared AI to nuclear energy, and he said technology must serve the common good, not domination or exclusion. Pope Leo invited both Catholics and the broader public to engage seriously with the challenges AI presents, and he said the church brings a wisdom concerning the human that our present time desperately needs. Ola urged religious leaders, governments, scholars, and civil society to become informed critics of the AI industry, and he warned that commercial and geopolitical pressures can conflict with ethical decision making. Ola listed three major concerns regarding AI: mass job displacement, unequal global access to AI's benefits, and the increasingly mysterious inner workings of advanced AI models. He said researchers are discovering patterns that resemble human emotions and introspection, raising profound ethical questions. The Pope's encyclical echoed many of those concerns, insisting that human dignity must come before profit, and warning against reducing people to data or commodities. Pope Leo also called for global cooperation to protect workers, families, and vulnerable communities in the digital age. The Pope thanked Olaf for his presence at the presentation and for accepting the church's invitation. The Pope said he'd accepted Olaf's invitation to walk together, to listen and to speak, and together find a way for humanity in this time of artificial intelligence. The Cardinal warned of a dangerous gap between rapid technological power and human moral wisdom. The new encyclical stresses that as society leans heavily on AI, human dignity must stay front and center. Cardinal Victor Manuel Fernandez, who is the prefect of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, warned against a hyper-technological worldview that treats technology as a false idol. British theologian Anna Rollins noted the document rejects the idea that AI or transhumanism will save humanity. Meanwhile, ethicist Leocari Loshumbo highlighted the encyclical's concern for the global south, warning that the environment and labor tolls of AI infrastructure threaten to widen the gap between rich and poor. And minutes after the official release of the encyclical today, the head of the U.S. Catholic Bishops shared his thoughts on the document. Archbishop Paul Coakley of Oklahoma City, who is the president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, said the encyclical is a powerful reminder that no technology can replace a child of God, and all technology should be placed at the service of helping humanity thrive. The Archbishop said the Church here in the U.S. welcomes the document with gratitude and praise, and he said, The Pope calls us to never lose sight of the inherent dignity of all human life and the moral imperative for technology to support peace and the common good, rather than the limited interest of a few. The Archbishop announced that the U.S. Bishop's Committee on Doctrine has been tasked to lead and coordinate the Bishop's work regarding AI. And that's your OSV newscast for today. I'm Gina Christian. Check out the show notes for links to these stories, plus an explainer on key terms in Pope Leo's encyclical. We did the work for you so you don't have to look them up. We've also got more information on anthropic and on something called emergent misalignment, which is what happens when AI goes rogue. Stay tuned to OSV News for continuing coverage of this encyclical on the Catholic Church's response to AI. Give us a follow on social media and as always bookmark osvnews.com. And just for the record, you are hearing a live human record this podcast, not AI. And that human would like to thank you for listening. God bless.

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