Magnifica Humanitas – Pope Leo’s 1st Encyclical Arrives
On May 25, 2026, Pope Leo released Magnifica Humanitas, his encyclical on the enduring primacy of the human being made in God’s image, in this time of artificial intelligence. Pope Leo acknowledged the newness of AI’s influence as a force for humanity to reckon with by signing the document on May 15, the 135th anniversary of Pope Leo XIII’s landmark encyclical, Rerum Novarum (Of New Things), written in 1891. Pope Leo XIII’s encyclical responded to the impact of the Industrial Revolution on humanity, ushering in the development of the Church’s doctrine of social justice, now known as Catholic Social Teaching. Pope Leo XIV has revived and contemporized Catholic Social Teaching as a framework for us to examine, evaluate, and respond to the aspects of AI that have potential to reach far into the domains of human agency, considered human beings’ sole purview until now.
The AVCC Social Justice Ministry will be taking the opportunity in the coming months to bring some of the document’s key teachings to our ministry offerings, so that our parish community can engage thoughtfully with these important and far-reaching issues of our present time.
Please join SJM for our final meeting of the season on Monday, June 15, 7 pm at the firepit at St. Elizabeth’s as we brainstorm ways to focus on Magnifica Humanitas for the fall. Meanwhile, we can learn about Magnifica Humanitas from these links to key documents and events featured during the first week of the encyclical’s release: