Highlights from Magnifica Humanitas,
the first encyclical letter from Pope Leo XIV - Excerpts for young adults
Below
is a collection of excerpts from the encyclical letter. I selected these with
the hope of encouraging the reader to return to the encyclical letter in its
entirety. The full text can be here: Encyclical Letter of His Holiness Leo XIV
Magnifica Humanitas (15 May 2026).
Note: numbers appearing before the excerpts indicate the paragraph number of
the text (in most cases, only a portion of the paragraph is given). Numbers
appearing in brackets, e.g. [123], are links to the references (the letter’s
biography includes 224 references). Excerpts chosen by James C. McMahon.
INTRODUCTION
4. 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.” [5] Over the centuries, technological
development has significantly improved the living conditions of humanity.
Two biblical
images
7. The story of
Babel appears in the Book of Genesis. After settling in a plain in the land of
Shinar, the people decided to build a city and a tower “with its top in the
heavens” (Gen 11:4). Fearing being scattered across the earth, they
sought to guarantee stability and power for themselves, and above all to “make
a name” for themselves
8. The Book of
Nehemiah - After the Babylonian exile, a portion of the people returned to
Jerusalem, but the city was still in ruins, the walls collapsed and the gates
burned (cf. Neh 1–2).
The narrative shows how the city is reborn, not through the initiative of one
man, but through the shared responsibility of all: men, women, priests,
artisans, heads of households and young people all play a part. It is an
undertaking with God at the center, which rebuilds relationships before
rebuilding with stones.
CHAPTER ONE, A DYNAMIC APPROACH FAITHFUL TO THE GOSPEL
Social
Doctrine as a shared discernment
25. What
matters most is not occupying positions of power or defending cultural
strongholds, but initiating good processes and enabling them to mature.
In this way, the truth of the Gospel is not imposed from above, but grows over
time within the concrete interweaving of lives, communities and cultures. This
is not a truth that fears diversity, but instead welcomes and guides it. It
does not eliminate conflicts, but transforms them, reuniting that which history
tends to scatter.
CHAPTER TWO, FOUNDATIONS AND PRINCIPLES OF
THE SOCIAL DOCTRINE OF THE CHURCH
The
principle of subsidiarity
68. The principle
of subsidiarity stems from the very same understanding of the human person that
has guided our reflection on dignity and the common good. If every woman and
man is called to take ownership of his or her own life and to contribute to the
formation of society, then social institutions must also respect and support
this responsibility. The Social Doctrine of the Church refers to subsidiarity
as the principle according to which the role of individuals, families, local
communities and intermediary organizations should not be supplanted by
higher-level authorities. Moreover, higher-level institutions must recognize,
protect and promote the freedom and creativity of lower-level entities,
coordinating their contributions so that they can cooperate effectively for the
common good. [91]
CHAPTER THREE, TECHNOLOGY AND DOMINANCE. THE
GRANDEUR OF HUMANITY IN LIGHT OF THE PROMISES OF AI
The
technocratic paradigm and digital
power
95. When such
power is concentrated in the hands of a few, it tends to become opaque and
evade public oversight, increasing the risk of distorted forms of development
that give rise to new dependencies, exclusions, manipulations and inequalities.
Artificial
intelligence
99. So-called
artificial intelligences do not undergo experiences, do not possess a body, do
not feel joy or pain, do not mature through relationships and do not know from
within what love, work, friendship or responsibility mean. Nor do they have a
moral conscience, since they do not judge good and evil, grasp the ultimate
meaning of situations, or bear responsibility for consequences. They may
imitate language, behavior and analytical skills, or even simulate empathy and
understanding, but they do not understand what they produce, for they lack the
affective, relational and spiritual perspective through which human beings grow
in wisdom.
The
authentic “more than human”: grace and
Christian humanism
128. For an
algorithm, an error is a flaw to be corrected; for a person, however, an error
can be a catalyst for profound change. A person’s future is not calculable, but
depends on one’s freedom — elevated by the inexhaustible grace of God — and on
the relationships cultivated.
Two cities and
two loves
129. Christian
humanism does not reject science or technology, but embraces them with
gratitude and realism, and grounds them within a higher vocation.
130. “Two loves
have built two cities: the earthly city, the love of self even to the contempt
of God; the heavenly city, the love of God even to the contempt of self.” [139] As throughout history, these two
loves continue to contend for dominance in our hearts today. The age of AI is
no exception: the construction of Babel or the rebuilding of Jerusalem begins
within each one of us.
CHAPTER FOUR, SAFEGUARDING HUMANITY AT A TIME OF TRANSFORMATION.
An
educational alliance for the
digital age
140. As Plato
wrote, the deepest and most important things are learned only after much time
and effort, by engaging in discussion with others, “striking upon” ideas and
experiences together like flint until the spark of understanding is kindled
within us. [147] We must learn, then, how to
exercise restraint in the use of AI and to protect our young people from the
promise of the perfect machine, from that subtle temptation which renders human
thought seemingly superfluous precisely when it is most needed.
143. School is the
place where new generations can learn to seek and love the truth, to reflect on
the meaning of life and to recognize the dignity of every person. For this
reason, many parents, who want their children to grow in the capacity to form
relationships, develop critical thinking skills and embrace solid values, place
great expectations on schools as valuable partners in their children’s
education.
An economy that values dignity
157.
Entrepreneurial initiative can indeed be a true vocation, generating wealth and
improving lives, rather than a variable that is dependent only on profit. This
is possible when it recognizes that the creation of dignified, valuable jobs
are an essential part of its proper service to society. [158]
CHAPTER FIVE, THE CULTURE OF POWER AND THE CIVILIZATION OF LOVE
212. Yet, no one
is without responsibility. We all have our own areas for action, and it is
precisely there — and nowhere else — that we must choose whether to fuel the
mentality of force (even if only through indifference, cynicism, lies or
hatred), or to preserve the mindset of peace (with truth, moderation, closeness
and care).
213. The
twentieth-century Catholic author J.R.R. Tolkien, in the words of a protagonist
in one of his novels, described our responsibility in this way: “It is not our
part to master all the tides of the world, but to do what is in us for the
succour of those years wherein we are set, uprooting the evil in the fields
that we know, so that those who live after may have clean earth to till.” [187]
CONCLUSION
229. “Let each
builder choose with care how to build” (1 Cor 3:10). With these
words, Saint Paul encouraged the Christians of Corinth to preserve unity.
233. The
dignity inscribed in each of us by the Holy Spirit can also be seen in our
capacity to reflect critically, choose and love freely, and form authentic
relationships. No computational system, however sophisticated, can create a
heart that gives itself, or a conscience that discerns good from evil. Even
when machines excel in efficiency, a human face that asks to be gazed upon
remains the center of our history.
The song of
hope: the Magnificat
245. With the same
faith as Mary, let us become “weavers of hope” in our world, sharing who we are
and what we have, so that the presence of Jesus may grow among us and his
Kingdom take shape. In the humble fidelity of daily life, even the era of AI
can become a time in which the Holy Spirit brings about the civilization of
love in our lives.
Given in Rome,
at Saint Peter’s, on 15 May, in the year 2026, the second of my Pontificate.
LEO PP. XIV
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