Pope Leo’s First Encyclical Brings Apocalyptic Warning Of Moral, Social Collapse
Pope Leo’s First Encyclical Brings Apocalyptic Warning Of Moral, Social Collapse
Publish Date: 2026-05-25 10:33:00
Source Domain: www.forbes.com
Topline
Pope Leo XIV on Monday used his first encyclical to warn that humanity is using artificial intelligence, mass automation and rapid technological advancement to build a modern “Tower of Babel,” sharing an apocalyptic vision of a world defined by greed, immorality and lack of respect for human life.
Pope Leo XIV attends the presentation of his first Encyclical Letter “Magnifica Humanitas” focused on the rise of artificial intelligence, in The Vatican.
AFP via Getty Images
Key Facts
The Pope issued an 83-page or open letter, titled “Magnifica Humanitas” (Magnificent Humanity) on Monday weighing in on capitalism, immigration and technological ambition in a statement already being described as one of the boldest encyclicals in decades.
The Catholic leader focused much of his address on the rapid advancement and implementation of artificial intelligence, theorizing tech companies are becoming more powerful than governments and warning the AI economy is akin to slavery and will create “second-class humans.”
Pope Leo issued his gravest warning by suggesting humanity is at risk of constructing a new “Tower of Babel,” a biblical story in which God intervened to stop human arrogance and overreach by confusing language and fracturing unity.
As the pope describes it, humanity is building technological systems it will not be able to control for long that will ultimately widen the gap between the poor and elite, erode empathy and create different classes of human worth.
The Pope also used his letter to issue the strongest papal condemnation of anti-migrant politics in years, sharply criticize modern capitalism and suggest climate destruction is a moral crime against the poor.
Co-founder of US artificial intelligence (AI) company Anthropic, Christopher Olah, attends the presentation of Pope Leo XIV first Encyclical Letter “Magnifica Humanitas.”
AFP via Getty Images
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