The document - the highest form of Papal teaching - is called Magnifica Humanitas (magnificent humanity). Here is a summary:

In the time of Artificial Intelligence, humanity is faced with a choice. Whether to let itself be guided by technology and progress as the only principles on which to build our civilization, or placing at its centre the dignity of the person, reducing technical progress to an instrument.

To explain this, Pope Leo uses two biblical images, one the construction of the Tower of Babel and the other the reconstruction of Jerusalem.

Choosing the “right” means following the Social Doctrine of the Church - listening to, discerning, and interpreting our times in light of the Gospel, in order to be able to offer humanity the revealed truth, using the language of today.

Our focus should be on the human being, created in the image of God, and, as such, blessed with intrinsic dignity. The vital principles which must be followed are those of the common good, the universal destination of goods, subsidiarity and solidarity, as well as social justice.

The relationship between technology, power, and the human person is dealt with in chapter 3. While Pope Leo recognizes the value of technological development as an expression of human creativity, he warns of the risk of it becoming the absolute criterion of judgment.

Artificial intelligence is a tool. It does not have experiences, values, and feelings, and it cannot - and should not - assume a role of responsibility and supremacy over human intelligence.

To avoid this danger, a new awareness is necessary (chapter 4).

The first area of concern is that of truth: in an era in which everything can be manipulated, we must find a way of distinguishing what is true from what is false (AI can notoriously create 'fake' images and audio as well as produce fake news)

The second is work: when the dominant criterion becomes efficiency, work risks losing its human and relational value.

The third area is that of freedom from digital dependency. We require just rules, shared responsibility, and education. To preserve the conditions of an authentically human life, capable of truth, dignified work, and true liberty, a choral effort is necessary.

Pope Leo recalls that Artificial Intelligence has effects, often dramatic, also on war. The technological innovations are not limited to making means of defence more efficient, but risk automating choices that involve life and death, without recourse to concsience, ethics and moral responsibility.

This is Culture of Power (chapter 5). Faced with a tendency to prioritize the effectiveness of means over moral judgment, and military outcomes over the protection of human life, the only prospect of salvation for humanity is a civilization founded on justice, brotherhood, and dialogue.

In the civilization of love, we can all do our part, beginning with the disarming of our words, practising justice, being on the side of victims, cultivating dialogue, and trusting in a healthy realism. All these good practices find their vital force in prayer.

The concluding chapter focuses on the spiritual and theological dimension.

God became human and taught us true humanity, and a preferential attention for the least. It is in this that the greatness of the human being resides, not in technical power, but rather in freedom, love, and grace.

In an era that generates exclusion, we are called, as brothers and sisters united in “one body in Christ,” to safeguard solidarity and the care of the weakest.

Safeguarding all that is truly human in the time of Artificial Intelligence is, therefore, a common and shared responsibility.

The encyclical ends where it begins with a return to the opposition between the Tower of Babel and the Holy City: which do we want to contribute to building?

If we become “wise architects” and builders faithful to the truth, who safeguard relationships and invest in education, lovers of justice and peace, humanity will not lose its proper magnificence.

It is important, therefore, not to remain on the sidelines as passive spectators, but rather to be weavers of hope, with the same faith as Mary, who, in her humility, under foreign domination and with a humiliated and divided people, was able to see the invisible and salvific work of God.

To read the full Encyclical, click here.https://www.vatican.va/.../20260515-magnifica-humanitas.html