From the desk of the Tar Heel disciple:
September 6, 2026 (#128)
The Most Recent Papal Encyclical: Magnifica Humanitas
Part VII: Chapter Five and Conclusion (paragraphs 182-245)
The fifth and final chapter of this encyclical explores the contrasting themes, “The Culture of Power and the Civilization of Love.” Here, the first topic explored is that of war, which is already being greatly influenced by the current “digital revolution, which “will render decisions about life and death more rapid and impersonal, and will present the use of force as an immediate and viable option.” (182) The document recognizes the possibility of positive defensive capacities enabled by these technologies but also calls attention to the dangers the same technologies present, especially due to their accelerating factor, not only in matters of traditional warfare, but also in “hybrid forms such as cyberattacks, information manipulation, campaigns of influence and the automation of strategic decisions.” (183)
As the encyclical reminds us, the phrase “civilization of love” was coined by Pope Saint Paul VI in the midst of the Cold war, offering an alternative view to that of the existing “mere armed coexistence.” (186) Rejecting the judgement that such a quest is no more than a utopian vision, Pope Leo, like his papal predecessors, calls for concrete steps necessary to create structures of justice that would support such a civilization: “it is not enough for artificial intelligence to make us more efficient or connected; it must also serve to build a universal human family, with shared rights and duties, where digital proximity becomes a real opportunity for encounter and mutual care.” (187) He also affirms that each one of us has a personal responsibility in these efforts. To support this summons to personal and collective action, he quotes Tolkien’s Lord of the Ring:
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. (213)
He explores what he means by the “culture of power” in several highly descriptive paragraphs (188-209), whose themes would be easily recognized by anyone with even only a casual acquaintance with current headlines and political trends:
In our time, a culture of power is taking hold, in which the availability of resources and the ability to dominate tend to dictate the agenda and criteria for decision-making. In this way, the common good of humanity is relegated to the background and the concrete tragedy of peoples at war is reduced to a secondary consideration in relation to strategic interests. This culture of power infiltrates society, changes relationships and behaviors, and grows by normalizing war, pursuing ever-greater military power, taking advantage of the crisis of multilateralism and fueling a false realism that insists that there is no alternative. (188)
In addition to each one “doing our part,” as noted above, the document also calls for, among other exigencies, the disarming of words (214), “adopting the perspective of victims” (216-217), and the “reviving of dialogue,” especially in the pursuit of strengthening diplomatic links and a spirit of “multilateralism.” (219-227) This important chapter concludes with a call to renewed hope and prayer. (228)
The conclusion of this document, numbering seventeen paragraphs (229-245), is profoundly Christological and Eucharistic in tone and scope. It is also highly exhortative, consisting of a real call to action to assist in the “rebuilding of Jerusalem.” And, typical of many papal encyclicals of the last generations, the final words consist of a Marian connection with the topic at hand. In this instance, Pope Leo offers a brief meditation, consisting of three paragraphs, on the relevance of Mary's Magnificat (Luke 1:46-55) to the IT themes addressed. (242-245)
The encyclical may be long, but in the thinking of this scribe, it is relevant and instructive.
The full text of the papal encyclical under consideration here can be found, in English, at the Vatican website:
https://www.vatican.va/content/leo-xiv/en/encyclicals/documents/20260515-magnifica-humanitas.html
