CSAN welcomes Magnifica Humanitas

Source: CSAN

On 15 May 2026, Pope Leo XIV signed his first encyclical, which then joined the rich body of work known as the social doctrine of the Church, or Catholic Social Teaching.

The day of the signing, like the choice of the Holy Father's name, were both signals of the continuity of the current papacy with the concerns of Pope Leo XIII, who on the same day in 1891, gave the Church his encyclical, Rerum Novarum ("On Capital and Loabout"), his powerful indictment of the forces of the industrial age which degraded the dignity of workers and their families.

On 25 May 2026, Pope Leo XIV's first encyclical, Magnifca Humanitas, was published to the world. The sub-title - On the protection of the human person in the age of artificial intelligence - sets out succinctly the main concern of the document. Just as technology in the first and second industrial revolutions - concentrated in hands of a few and used to maximise profit at the expense of the dignity of workers - was the concern of Leo XIII, so his successor is concerned that the advances of AI in this the fourth industrial revolution, not in themselves bad, but in the hands of a few hyper wealhy unaccounatable individuals and their companies, will prove harmful to human beings, human relationships, and the the earth our common home.

Caritas Social Action Network, the domestic agency of the Catholic Bishops' Confernece of England and Wales, inspired by the Gospel and Catholic Social Teaching, welcomes this timely contribution to the 'work site' of the social doctrine of the Church. The encyclical places the dignity of the human person at the centre of the crirteria for discerning technological progress in the age of artificial intelligence. The Church's social teaching points to the common good, solidarity, subsidiarity and justice as the foundational principles for understanding and interpreting the epochal transformation now underway. It proposes, an an alterative to a post-humanist, or trans-human world dominated by a culture of power and war, a civilsation of love built on justice, dialogue and peace; and calls upon everyone to take action:

"We all have our own areas for action, and it is precisely there - and nowhere else - that we must choose whether to fuel the mentality of force (even if only through indifference, cynicism, lies or hatred), or to preserve the mindset of peace (with truth, moderation, closeness and care)" (#212).

At CSAN, we have been working recently on the topic of the dignity of workers in the 21st century and look forward to engaging deeply with the new encylcial and its implications for our advocacy in England and Wales. Pope Leo points out that while many of the historical circumstamces have changed since Rerum Novarum, two insights remain highly relevant today: "the primacy of human labour over any mindset focused solely on finance or productivity - with the consequent attention to the people and families most susceptible to exploitation - and the inseparable link between proclaiming the Gospel and pursuing a more just social order" (#30).

Pope Leo builds on a key theme in his apostolic exhortation, Dilexi te, the need to challenge and peacefully change unjust economic structures. He is concerned by growing inequality, as Pope Leo XIII was, with extraordinary wealth once again concentrated in the hands of a few, with the workers excluded from the benefits of technological advances. The state has a role to place to rein in the excesses of the free market:

"More than ever, in the age of AI and robotics, it is no longer possible to rely solely on the "invisible hand" of the market. Politics has the task of orientating economies and technologies to the common good, promoting dignified work, social inclusion and an equitable distribution of the benefits of innovation" (#163).

Another theme which resonates with the current work of CSAN is opposition to human trafficking and exploitation in an age of AI, when a de-humanised mind-set regards human beings as mere tools to be exploited: " In continuity with the tradition inaugurated by Leo XIII, the Church renews her firm condemnation of all forms of slavery, trafficking and the commodification of persons" (#174).

In his encyclical, Pope Leo XIV frequently refers to a "civilisation of love", the Kingdom of God that we are called to build here on earth, now seen as a bulwark against de-humanisation. He proposes "five paths toward daily and public responsibility: the need to disarm words, building peace through justice, adopting the perspective of victims, cultivating a healthy realism and reviving dialogue and multilateralism" (#213).

In his powerful first encyclical, Pope Leo XIV calls on all of us to work for a world where the dignity of the human being is protected, work is meaningful, relationships flourish, resources are shared, and love is the horizon and guiding reality.

Raymond Friel OBE
CEO, Caritas Social Action Network

LINKS

Read a summary of Encyclical, with links to the full text and a video: www.indcatholicnews.com/news/55073

A copy of CSAN report on The Dignity of Workers in the 21st Century is available from the CSAN website: www.csan.org.uk/csan-launches-dignity-of-workers-in-the-21st-century-publication/