For years, Holy See diplomacy has focused on artificial intelligence at multiple levels, already anticipating its future. Because when the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace warned about the augmented reality of chipped soldiers, or when the Pontifical Academy for Life began to speak of transhumanism, machine learning had not yet been developed as it is now. In short, the thinking was that technology was dehumanizing human beings, yet the human being remained, as something that could be “developed” by human hands, while its self-perception remained unchanged.
Yet, the Holy See’s path was precisely to look there, according to the principles of a social doctrine in which everything is connected. It looked at the moment of dehumanization when it developed its criticism against the LAWS ( Lethal Autonomous Weapon Systems), well before drones were widely used in warfare, noting how these mechanisms detached facts from people, and how the principle of personal responsibility was thus lost. He looked to the moment of dehumanization when chips began to replace the identities of human beings, who were now identified by their expenditures or their presence, but not by their essence.
To understand Magnifica Humanitas, one must look at all of this, one must grasp the meaning of the Social Doctrine of the Church , one must understand the way in which Leo XIV calls for its application. And if the encyclical seems more than anything a summary—well done, of course—of the principles of the Social Doctrine of the Church, there is much more behind this summary that also has a specific meaning for the diplomacy of the Holy See. Because it is obvious that papal diplomacy will start from this encyclical, will develop it concretely, will bring its citations to all international forums , where, among other things, an interesting debate on space is also developing—the Holy See mission in Geneva launched a video of reflections on the occasion of the Artemis mission, for example ( https://www.acistampa.com/story/34605/diplomazia-pontificia-lurbi-et-orbi-di-pasqua-macron-da-leone-xiv ).
And to understand Magnifica Humanitas from a diplomatic point of view one must take into account three of the requests that the Holy See has been making for several years :
- the request for a reform of the United Nations, contained among other things in Benedict XVI’s Caritas in Veritate , but which has been reiterated several times over the years ( https://www.mondayvatican.com/holy-see/holy-see-promotes-a-reform-of-the-united-nations-and-invites-ban-ki-moon-to-discuss-about-it-in-rome ), because the Holy See asks the multilateral world to be truly representative of all instances, even the smallest ones;
- the request for a reform of the world economy, which also includes a reform of the monetary system as the then Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace had presented at the G20 in 2011 ( http://www.korazym.org/2433/una-p roposta -di-riforma-del-sistema-monetario-sul-tavolo-del-g20/ );
- and the idea of a world authority with universal competences, a sort of guarantee mechanism that was first proposed by John XXIII in Pacem In Terris ( https://www.acistampa.com/story/240/pacem-in-terris-una-utopia-in-cammino-0240 ) and which always proposed justice and peace for a global economic reform ( https://www.mondayvatican.com/vatican/might-new-vatican-document-on-the-economy-help-humanae-vitae ).
All these premises are necessary to understand the starting point of Leo XIV’s text . Because the encyclical is obviously not a text that encompasses every piece of human knowledge, but in the Holy See nothing exists by itself, and everything rests on a history that has lasted two millennia.
Given these premises, what are the encyclical’s points of diplomatic interest? First of all, the three guidelines proposed for today’s world (point 32): that the law take precedence over interests; being aware that economic inequalities are fertile ground for tension and violence; the need for a network of associations capable of mediating between individuals and the state .
Not only that. In point 56, Leo XIV notes that the protection of human rights has been exposed to the danger of a purely formal declaration, while technological progress continues to lead to open and covert violations of human dignity. And then, a classic theme of papal diplomacy: the fact that human rights are no longer considered universal. Here, the reference is to the debate on so-called third- and fourth-generation human rights, which do not have a universal but rather a cultural foundation and therefore do not concern the inherent dignity of the human being as conceived by the Catholic Church .
Human rights, therefore, play a central role and serve to bring the human person back to the center of the debate, with his inherent dignity deriving directly from God. This is a declaration of intent, from which the Holy See has never detached itself .
So, what’s the point of artificial intelligence? In 2023, the Holy See proposed a world authority with universal competences for artificial intelligence ( https://www.acistampa.com/story/23386/diplomazia-pontificia-una-organizzazione-internazionale-per-lintelligenza-artificiale ), a proposal that was later reiterated by the Centesimus Annus Pro Pontifice Foundation ( https://www.acistampa.com/story/25374/lintelligenza-artificiale-regolata-da-una-autorita-mondiale ).
Today, the Holy See has launched the Rome Call for AI Ethics , which has evolved from a pact with big tech to a pact with religions, carrying full diplomatic weight with its ethical principles on Artificial Intelligence ( https://www.acistampa.com/story/25673/la-chiesa-in-asia-il-giappone-allavanguardia ). At point 104, Leo XIV notes that Artificial Intelligence “cannot be considered morally neutral,” because every technical means incorporates choices and priorities based on what it measures, ignores, and optimizes, and how it classifies people and situations.
The problem is huge. In a world where data is colonized, no longer people, where a few have power over many (tech oligarchs can shut down a satellite at any time, leaving entire countries defenseless), the moral framework of the world’s powerful must be considered.
At point 109, Leo XIV explains why the social doctrine of the Church, with its principles, has its own reason to exist and to be present in the world.
The Pope writes: “In a world where data, computational resources and regulatory influence remain in the hands of a few, to speak of the common good means exposing this new form of epistemic, economic and political asymmetry and naming the new monopolies of AI. To speak of the universal destination of goods means finding ways of ensuring universal access to both technologies and the education needed to use them. To speak of subsidiarity calls for protecting the ability of communities to make choices and corrections, rather than confining their role to mere oversight after the standards have been set elsewhere. To speak of solidarity obliges us to recognize the hidden, often exploited workers, who sustain algorithmic systems. To speak of justice requires questioning the global distribution of power that decides who in fact can train these models and who is merely subjected to them. Likewise, it means acknowledging that social justice is not only a goal to be safeguarded after technologies are deployed, but a condition that must shape their very design from the outset”.
In short, the problem isn’t the technology, but its use. Indeed, the Holy See even proposed a ban on patents for potentially lethal inventions, based on the TRIPs Agreement ( https://www.mondayvatican.com/holy-see/arms-trade-treaty-negotiations-failed-and-the-integral-disarmament-seems-to-be-so-far-away ). Could there be a similar initiative regarding artificial intelligence devices used for warfare?
Leo XIV highlights this at point 194, denouncing the “renewed attention” to military arsenals, lamenting the change in approach compared to past disarmament treaties, and calling for the ratification of the 2021 Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, in whose approval the Holy See had exceptionally participated as a voting country at the United Nations ( https://www.acistampa.com/story/6928/santa-sede-allonu-una-diplomazia-pastorale-e-spirituale-6928 ).
And no, says Leo XIV, “moral judgment cannot be reduced to a calculation: it implies conscience, responsibility.” Precise ethical principles are required, ranging from personal responsibility to the need to set aside speed and efficiency when making moral evaluations, to the point of demanding that attacks allow us to see the face of the other, so as to defuse the attacks.
All of this has already been reflected in the discourses of papal diplomacy over the past ten years. Leo XIV also calls for the restoration of multilateralism, with a dialogue that must overcome “the impulsive communications, aggressive rhetoric, and logic of power that characterize our time.” He then turns his attention to cyberspace and the cyberattacks that are creating a new type of warfare, requiring diplomacy to operate in this new environment.
Ultimately, the Holy See wants a functioning multilateral system, the respect for human rights, and a constant effort to avoid war, while also considering the education of children and the ability of families to live with dignity.
These are the classic themes of papal diplomacy, which Magnifica Humanitas reiterates. This is not a new world. It is an application of the Christian world, of what John Paul II called “the civilization of love.”