The Archbishop of Westminster has welcomed the publication of Pope Leo XIV's first encyclical, Magnifica humanitas, describing it as an important contribution to human development at a time of rapid technological change.
The Most Reverend Richard Moth, who is also President of the Bishops' Conference of England and Wales, made his comments following the release of the document, which carries the subtitle On Preserving the Human Person in the Age of Artificial Intelligence. "I welcome today's publication of Pope Leo's first encyclical," he said, noting that drawing attention to "the profound challenges AI will bring to humanity" had been among the new Pope's earliest interventions since his election.
A deliberate echo of Rerum novarum
Archbishop Moth drew particular attention to the date on the document. Pope Leo signed the encyclical on 15 May, the 135th anniversary of Pope Leo XIII's Rerum novarum. That earlier encyclical examined the social and economic effects of the industrial revolution and is widely regarded as the foundation of Catholic social teaching, setting out the rights and duties of workers and owners alike and championing the dignity of labour.
The choice of date, the Archbishop suggested, was no accident. By signing Magnifica humanitas on the anniversary of Rerum novarum, Pope Leo XIV consciously situates his reflection on artificial intelligence within the same tradition that responded to the upheavals of the nineteenth-century factory. "The Church's social teaching in the years since Rerum novarum contains a great deal to help us in our seeking of the common good," Archbishop Moth said.
Humanity at the centre
For the Archbishop, the heart of the encyclical is the insistence that the human person must come before all else. Every age, he observed, lives with change, and the development of AI calls Christians to weigh both the opportunities and the challenges it brings. The proper response, he argued, places "the centrality of humanity above all else" and the solidarity needed to seek peace among peoples.
He pointed to the encyclical's reminder that "more powerful does not necessarily mean better", warning that the tools created by human skill should serve genuinely human ends rather than entrench injustice. "Technology must not be used to embed unjust economic systems and abuses of power," he said, "but must always be at the service of human development." Made in the image of God, he added, human beings bear a responsibility towards one another and especially towards the most vulnerable.
A working group for England and Wales
Archbishop Moth commended the encyclical "to all Catholics and people of good will", calling it a significant contribution to integral human development during a period of considerable change. He stressed that the text demands careful study and that further reflection would follow.
To that end, he confirmed that the Bishops' Conference of England and Wales has established a working group to examine Magnifica humanitas and the wider questions raised by artificial intelligence. Recognising the importance of safeguarding and promoting the human in the face of such a rapid technological leap, the group will, in his words, approach these issues "always putting the human at the centre".
fr.J.L.
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