Magnifica Humanitas – Religion & Liberty Online

June 25, 2026

Agentic AI, Meatspace, and Martin Luther

Stop hiring humans. They get sick, have children, and occasionally observe religious holidays. Bots, on the other hand, never waste time on these sorts of things. Bots don’t take personal days or holidays, and they never have children with runny noses. Continue Reading...

May 29, 2026

Magnifica Humanitas: Between Babel and Jerusalem in the Age of AI

In his first social encyclical, Magnifica Humanitas, Pope Leo XIV offers a compelling reflection on the relationship between artificial intelligence and human dignity. The much-anticipated document was signed on May 25 by a pope who pledged to immediately confront the AI revolution morally and pastorally during his papacy. Continue Reading...

May 28, 2026

Humanity, Magnificent, at a Crossroads

By the time you finish this article, Leo XIV’s first encyclical, Magnifica Humanitas, will bear the tire marks of a thousand different journalists, columnists, and influencers, each driving his or her own interpretive agenda across its 245 paragraphs. Continue Reading...

May 27, 2026

The Economics of Magnifica Humanitas

It has been a while since I awaited the publication of a papal document with as much eagerness as I have Magnifica Humanitas. Pope Leo XIV’s encyclical is itself magnificent, and I’m looking forward to prayerfully reading it over and over, not only as a guide to navigating the new world of artificial intelligence but also as an excellent historical overview and synopsis of the essential principles of Catholic Social Teaching. Continue Reading...

May 26, 2026

Freedom and Responsibility: Seven Takeaways from Magnifica Humanitas

The Second Vatican Council grappled with how to approach the “signs of the times” in Gaudium et Spes, giving the following warning: The modern world shows itself at once powerful and weak, capable of the noblest deeds or the foulest; before it lies the path to freedom or to slavery, to progress or retreat, to brotherhood or hatred. Continue Reading...