From the desk of the Tar Heel disciple:
August 21, 2026 (#123)
The Most Recent Papal Encyclical: Magnifica Humanitas
Part II: The Introduction (paragraphs 1-16)
As previously observed, many contemporary papal encyclicals can often be daunting, especially given their length and theological language. Yes, the document under consideration here is certainly lengthy, however, and happily, it is approachable, using language that would be understood by a general audience of adults. (In fact, it might even be more understandable, given the topic, by a general audience of adolescents.) More significantly, from the start, the entire topic is approached in a biblical and Christological context, which is not always the case in encyclicals dealing with social doctrine. Pope Leo hopes to reach and persuade anyone of goodwill but unabashedly presents his arguments as those of a disciple of Jesus Christ who is deeply committed to the teaching of the Catholic Church.
Leo XIV approaches the new technology presented by digitalization, artificial intelligence, and robotics as new tools transforming our world, in a manner analogous to the transformation that occurred in the time of his predecessor, Leo XIII, whose encyclical addressed the radical changes brought about by the Industrial Revolution. Both popes recognized the positive aspects of these transformations. But, as Leo XIV notes, “… each phase of progress has also revealed the ambiguity of tools that can cause harm when not oriented toward the good.” (par. 4) In our time, these developments are, in large part, not initiated, guided, nor governed by States, but are driven and controlled by private individuals and international parties, which can lead to the exclusion of great segments of the population, especially the poor and otherwise marginalized. The pope points to the need for more transparency and regulation. But he does not rest here, as if the answer were purely regulatory, best left to governmental technocrats. He calls for the kind of justice and dialogue that is grounded in a true vision of the human person, best manifest to us in the person of Jesus Christ and in the social teaching of his Church.
In order to contextualize the questions that are arising in our time, Pope Leo XIV calls to mind two images from the Bible (7): the construction of the tower of Babel (Genesis 11:1-9) and the rebuilding of the walls of Jerusalem after a long period of exile (Nehemiah 2-6). In the story from the Book of Genesis, the people in the land of Shinar “sought to guarantee stability and power for themselves” by constructing a tower “with its top in the heavens.” (Gen 11:4). As the Pope observes, “It was an impressive feat: a single language, a single technology, a single direction.” However, it was done “without reference to God, supported by a uniformity that eliminated diversity and that chose homogenization over communion.” The project, founded on pride and self-sufficiency, ultimately broke down and resulted in dispersion rather than unity and real progress for the people of the land.
In stark contrast, the Book of Nehemiah offers the vision of a people returning from Babylonian exile, who find their city in ruins, its ancient walls collapsed, and the gates burned. Nehemiah, a Jew in service to the crown, fasts, prays, and intercedes for the people, eventually securing assistance from the Persian king, who permits him and the people of Israel to return and rebuild. But rather than making all the decisions and directing the project alone, Nehemiah “convened the families, assigned each of them a section of the wall to rebuild, listened to their concerns, coordinated their efforts and addressed any opposition.” (8) It is this model, where each member of the community affected is consulted and plays his/her part, that provides the model applauded by the pope. Recognizing that technology is not inherently evil, he also claims that it is “…never neutral, because it takes on the characteristics of those who devise, finance, regulate and use it.” (9) His plea then, is to avoid the “Babel syndrome,” and to build “a city founded on the common good.” (11)
Technology alone, he asserts, will never free us from human weakness. Technological “upgrades” will not “fix” the human person, especially when entire populations are left behind. He renounces the “illusion of unlimited self-assertion” by those who control the new technologies and at the same time leave many deprived of basic human necessities. (12) Finally, in this introduction to his document, Leo calls for the establishment of “standards for discernment.” These include “the dignity of the human person, the universal destination of goods, the preferential option for the poor, care for our common home and peace.” (14) He develops these themes amply and cogently in the following five chapters of his work.
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
