Valeriu Ghilețchi, ECPP President:

“As leader of the Catholic Church, the words of Pope Leo XIV carry great weight. As a Christian party — which includes Catholics among its members, and for which Catholic social teaching is an important inspiration for its fundamental values and political positions — we appreciate the value of his considerations. We believe the encyclical is an important addition to the political, moral and societal debate.”

In the encyclical ‘Magnifica Humanitas: On Safeguarding the Human Person in the Time of Artificial Intelligence‘, Pope Leo XIV makes a necessary and clear call regarding AI: it must not be allowed to dominate humanity, but rather must respect human dignity and truly serve the common good. To that end, adequate regulation of such technologies is needed.

Pope Leo XIV asserts that AI technologies can imitate human behaviour but cannot be equated with human beings, and that the technology is not morally neutral. Access to and education in its use must be provided, local communities must be heard and included in the process of setting standards, and the technology should not widen the gap between the advantaged and the disadvantaged. ECPP shares these considerations of Pope Leo XIV.

Valeriu Ghilețchi, ECPP President:

“‘Magnifica Humanitas’ is a timely document providing moral considerations on modern technologies, and we wholeheartedly welcome its message. Pope Leo XIV finds ECPP at his side when he says AI should respect human dignity and serve the common good. Technological development and advancement cannot come at the expense of human life and wellbeing.”

While the encyclical is focused on AI technologies, it also affirms various other values ECPP holds dear, such as the protection of life from conception to natural death, the importance of the traditional family, and the call to support it. Pope Leo XIV also calls to combat new forms of slavery, trafficking, and the commodification of persons, particularly in contexts linked to new technologies, including the extraction of rare earth elements. For ECPP, fighting modern slavery is a key pillar of its politics.

ECPP MEP Niels Geuking:

“The attention the Holy Father gives to families is a great encouragement. The family is the most important unit of society, and we need to create an environment in which families can flourish — because if families flourish, society does too. We need to support families and young people through times of technological transformation to ensure the economic and social stability that makes family life possible. Our times demand family-centred policies.”

ECPP also values the encyclical’s message of peace and diplomacy and shares the Pope’s concerns over the resurgence of war, the law of the strongest over the rule of law, and the threat of the weaponisation of AI. Pope Leo XIV strikingly notes that “any technology that facilitates attacks without seeing the face of human beings lowers the moral threshold of conflict.”

ECPP prays for Pope Leo XIV, that he may be granted wisdom and strength throughout his pontificate. We are grateful for the important contribution His Holiness has made to this debate and trust that this encyclical will find the resonance it deserves in society and politics.

Photo: © Edgar Beltrán. Licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0), via Wikimedia Commons.