Skip to content

Pope Leo XIV shares vision for papacy in age of artificial intelligence

Pope Leo XIV delivered his first official address to the College of Cardinals on Saturday, outlining his priorities in the age of AI while stressing continuity with past popes and commitment to Catholic social teaching.

Pope Leo XIV met with the College of Cardinals Saturday morning for his first official address since his election, outlining key priorities for his pontificate in the age of artificial intelligence, while emphasizing continuity with his predecessors and commitment to the Church’s social teaching.

The U.S.-born pontiff, speaking in Italian, explained his choice of papal name, noting that Pope Leo XIII “addressed the social question in the context of the first great industrial revolution” with his encyclical Rerum Novarum.

“In our own day, the Church offers to everyone the treasury of her social teaching in response to another industrial revolution and to developments in the field of artificial intelligence that pose new challenges for the defense of human dignity, justice and labor,” Pope Leo said.

The 69-year-old pope began the meeting with a prayer, expressing his gratitude to the cardinals while acknowledging his own limitations in assuming the papacy.

“You, dear cardinals, are the closest collaborators of the pope. This has proved a great comfort to me in accepting a yoke clearly far beyond my own limited powers, as it would be for any of us,” he said.

The pope specifically thanked Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, dean of the College of Cardinals, and Cardinal Kevin Joseph Farrell, camerlengo of the Holy Roman Church, for their service during the sede vacante period.

Pope Leo XIV speaks to the College of Cardinals on May 10, 2025 at the Vatican. Credit: Vatican Media
Pope Leo XIV speaks to the College of Cardinals on May 10, 2025 at the Vatican. Credit: Vatican Media

In his address, Pope Leo emphasized his commitment to continuing the Church’s path following the Second Vatican Council, specifically highlighting Pope Francis’ apostolic exhortation “Evangelii Gaudium” as providing “masterful and concrete” direction.

The pope identified several fundamental principles to guide his pontificate, “the return to the primacy of Christ in proclamation; the missionary conversion of the entire Christian community; growth in collegiality and synodality; attention to the sensus fidei, especially in its most authentic and inclusive forms, such as popular piety; loving care for the least and the rejected; courageous and trusting dialogue with the contemporary world.”

After his prepared remarks, the Holy Father engaged in a dialogue session with the cardinals, discussing “advice, suggestions, proposals, concrete things” raised during the pre-conclave meetings.

Pope Leo concluded by quoting St. Paul VI’s hope expressed at the beginning of his pontificate in 1963, praying that the Church would “pass over the whole world like a great flame of faith and love kindled in all men and women of good will.”

This article was originally published on Catholic News Agency.

SIGN UP FOR OUR NEWSLETTER HERE

Receive the most important news from EWTN Vatican via WhatsApp. It has become increasingly difficult to see Catholic news on social media. Subscribe to our free channel today

Share

Would you like to receive the latest updates on the Pope and the Vatican

Receive articles and updates from our EWTN Newsletter.

More news related to this article

Pope Francis meets Jewish leaders as they launch initiative to strengthen Catholic-Jewish bonds

Pope Francis met with international Jewish leaders on Tuesday as they launched an initiative to strengthen Catholic-Jewish bonds.

Why did Pope Francis not hold the General Audience this Wednesday?

The traditional General Audience on Wednesday did not take place on August 16, 2023, at the Vatican.

Interview with Patrick Kelly: The Importance of the Pontifical North American College in Rome

In an interview with EWTN's Vatican Bureau Chief, Andreas Thonhauser, Patrick Kelly, the current Supreme Knight of the Knights of Columbus, discusses the crucial role of the Pontifical North American College in Rome for U.S. seminarians.

Vatican diplomat says U.S. policy in Ukraine has disappointed Baltic allies

Archbishop Georg Gänswein, the Vatican’s nuncio to the Baltic states since 2024, said the region has been disappointed with the current U.S. administration’s approach to the conflict in Ukraine.

Vatican Cardinal Explains How Carlo Acutis and Pier Giorgio Frassati Became Saints

Cardinal Semeraro reflects on Carlo Acutis and Pier Giorgio Frassati, sharing how their faith, charity, and joy inspire young people and all Catholics to live fully for God and others.

As the year ends, where do things stand with the Vatican ‘trial of the century’?

The latest round of hearings at the Vatican’s historic finance trial has revealed several twists that profoundly changed

LIVE
FROM THE VATICAN

Be present live on EWTN.it