Pope Leo XIV will publish his first encyclical on Monday, warning against the dangers of transhumanism and the dehumanising effects of artificial intelligence, according to details revealed in advance by Vatican correspondent Nico Spuntoni.

The document, titled Magnifica Humanitatis, has reportedly been described inside the Vatican as the defining text of the new pontificate and places the defence of human dignity at the centre of the Church’s response to rapid technological change.

According to Spuntoni, the encyclical argues that humanity now stands “at a crossroads between self-sufficiency and solidarity” as artificial intelligence becomes increasingly embedded in political, economic and social life. The text frames that struggle through biblical imagery while returning repeatedly to the theological significance of the Incarnation.

Nico Spuntoni wrote that Leo XIV presents “contemplation of the Incarnate Word” as the answer to what the Pope calls “the eclipse of the meaning of what it means to be human”.

The encyclical is expected to expand substantially on comments made by the Pope shortly after his election when he explained why he had chosen the name Leo. Addressing the College of Cardinals, the Pope said Leo XIII had confronted “the social question in the context of the first great industrial revolution”, while the Church today must respond to “another industrial revolution and to the developments of artificial intelligence, which bring new challenges for the defence of human dignity, justice and work”.

Far from rejecting technological development altogether, the encyclical reportedly argues that artificial intelligence must remain subject to moral responsibility and ordered towards the common good. The Pope is also said to warn against any attempt to replace or transcend the human person through technology.

Furthermore, Nico Spuntoni reported that Leo XIV criticises those who seek “to transcend humanity through technology”, while insisting on what he previously described as a “healthy sense of proportion” in relation to scientific development.

The document reportedly returns several times to the question of human dignity as the measure against which all technological progress must be judged. In one passage referenced by Spuntoni, the Pope stresses that the human person possesses inherent dignity because each person is “willed, created, and loved by God”.

That theme had already appeared in the Pope’s message for this year’s World Communications Day, in which he quoted St Gregory of Nyssa’s teaching that mankind possesses “a royal character” because humanity is created in the image of God.

According to Nico Spuntoni’s account, the Pope expresses particular concern about what he sees as the erosion of moral accountability through reliance on algorithms and automated systems. The encyclical reportedly develops warnings Leo XIV issued earlier this year in a message for the International Day of Mathematics, when he called for algorithms to respect “the integral growth of the person” and not exclude “the moral dimension of these emerging technologies”.

The impact of artificial intelligence on relationships and public discourse also features prominently in the text. Spuntoni said the Pope warns against forms of digital communication that undermine truth and human freedom, echoing earlier appeals from the pontiff for technology to remain at the service of authentic human interaction.

The encyclical is also expected to address the military use of artificial intelligence. Pope Leo, who has appealed for peace since his election, reportedly insists on the ethical limits that must govern technological development in the defence sector.

Nico Spuntoni suggested the Pope also uses the document to defend multilateral cooperation at a time of increasing geopolitical instability and international fragmentation.

The encyclical is also likely to reinforce Leo XIV’s growing reputation as a pontiff deeply shaped by the intellectual legacy of St Augustine and Pope Benedict XVI. Spuntoni noted that the document revisits themes explored by Benedict in Spe Salvi, particularly the danger of mankind placing excessive faith in its own power and technological capability. According to Spuntoni, the Pope rejects the idea that Catholic social teaching is merely sociological or political, instead presenting it as something rooted directly in Christ and the Gospel.

Ultimately, the encyclical does not condemn artificial intelligence itself, but instead seeks to direct technological development towards the service of humanity and the common good. In doing so, according to Spuntoni, the Pope expresses hope that mankind can still place technological progress at the service of human dignity rather than allow it to diminish or replace it.

The topic of the text is as expected. The Pope’s choice of name and subsequent comments on artificial intelligence made it almost certain that this would be the theme of his first encyclical. The antimilitarist stance is also not surprising. However, the succinct way in which the pontiff has drawn together two major themes of his pontificate is characteristic of both the diplomatic ability and quiet confidence he has exuded since taking office. JD Vance has already said that he is “looking forward to reading” Magnifica Humanitatis, and it is likely that the text will prove influential on the world stage. By linking war with the topic of AI, the Pope has adeptly given world leaders a way to discuss the need for restraint in conflict without stoking partisan tensions.

The full text will be presented tomorrow at 11.30am in the Vatican’s Synod Hall. It will be signed on 15 May, matching the date of the signing and publication of Rerum Novarum, Pope Leo XIII’s best-known encyclical, issued on 15 May 1891. The same date was also chosen in 1931 by Pope Pius XI for Quadragesimo Anno, which developed the Church’s teaching on social order and introduced the principle of subsidiarity. Thirty years later, on 15 May 1961, Pope John XXIII promulgated Mater et Magistra, focusing on economic justice and social development.

The date of release, 25 May, also coincides with Pope John Paul II’s Ut Unum Sint, on ecumenism, which was released on 25 May 1995, and Pope Leo XIII’s Annum Sacrum, released on 25 May 1899, which consecrated the entire human race to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.