The Vatican Didn’t Accidentally Pick Anthropic
On May 25, Pope Leo XIV will launch Magnifica Humanitas — “Magnificent Humanity” — his first encyclical, and it’s about artificial intelligence. But the real story isn’t the document itself. It’s who’s standing next to him.
Christopher Olah, co-founder of Anthropic, will be among the lay speakers at the formal launch in the Vatican’s main auditorium. Not Sam Altman. Not Sundar Pichai. Not Dario Amodei (though Amodei’s fingerprints are all over this). The Pope chose the person who literally quit OpenAI over safety disagreements to share his stage.
That’s not a coincidence. That’s a theological position paper delivered through seating arrangements.
Rerum Novarum for the AI Age
Leo XIV signed the encyclical on May 15 — exactly 135 years after his namesake, Pope Leo XIII, signed Rerum Novarum, the foundational document of Catholic social teaching that addressed workers’ rights during the Industrial Revolution.
The parallel is explicit and intentional. The Vatican sees AI as a disruption on the same civilisational scale as industrialisation. Where Rerum Novarum argued for workers’ dignity against unfettered capitalism, Magnifica Humanitas is expected to argue for human dignity against unfettered artificial intelligence.
The launch event itself signals the stakes: two of the Vatican’s top cardinals — doctrine chief Víctor Manuel Fernández and development chief Michael Czerny — will present, alongside theologians Anna Rowlands and Leocadie Lushombo. Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican secretary of state, will conclude. The Pope himself will give a speech and final blessing.
This is not a press release. This is the Catholic Church deploying its heaviest doctrinal machinery.
Why Anthropic, Specifically
Anthropic has positioned itself as the “safety-first” AI company — the one that refused to give the US military unrestricted access to its models. That refusal came at a cost.
In February 2026, the Trump administration ordered all federal agencies to stop using Anthropic’s technology and imposed penalties for the company’s refusal to allow unrestricted military deployment. Anthropic is now suing the administration, alleging illegal retaliation.
So when the Vatican puts Anthropic’s co-founder on stage for the most significant papal document on technology in over a century, it’s not just protocol. It’s the Holy See taking a side in the most consequential debate in AI: whether the technology should be developed with constraints, or whether it should be deployed at full speed regardless of consequences.
The Vatican is effectively saying: the company that chose to be sued by the American government rather than enable unrestricted military AI — that’s the one we stand with.
What the Encyclical Will Likely Cover
While the full text won’t be public until May 25, Vatican sources and the Pope’s previous statements suggest the document will address:
- AI in warfare — Leo has repeatedly expressed concern about autonomous weapons and military AI applications
- Human dignity and labour — the Rerum Novarum parallel makes worker displacement a central theme
- Surveillance and authoritarianism — Anthropic itself has warned about AI in the hands of authoritarian regimes
- The ethics of capability — just because we can build something doesn’t mean we should
The document will be framed within Catholic social teaching, which means it won’t just be about technology — it’ll be about justice, the common good, and the obligation of states and corporations to the people they serve.
The Geopolitical Ripple
This encyclical doesn’t just speak to Catholics. Catholic social teaching has historically influenced secular policy — Rerum Novarum shaped labour law globally, including in countries where Catholics are a minority. Magnifica Humanitas could do the same for AI regulation.
For New Zealand, the timing is sharp. The AI Forum NZ just refreshed its AI Blueprint for Aotearoa through 2030, and the country is wrestling with its own “high-use, low-trust” AI paradox. A papal encyclical calling for responsible AI development gives moral weight to regulatory arguments that might otherwise be dismissed as anti-innovation.
🔍 THE BOTTOM LINE
The Pope didn’t write an encyclical about AI and accidentally invite the founder of a company that’s being sued by the US government for refusing to militarise its models. Magnifica Humanitas is the Vatican’s answer to Rerum Novarum for the AI age — and the choice of Anthropic as its secular partner is the clearest signal yet that the world’s most powerful moral institution is backing the safety camp, not the speed camp.
❓ Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What does this mean for NZ? NZ’s AI policy debates just got a new stakeholder — the Catholic Church’s moral authority. With 500,000+ Catholic New Zealanders and an AI Blueprint that emphasises responsible adoption, the encyclical gives weight to arguments for guardrails over unfettered deployment.
Q: What’s an encyclical? An encyclical is a papal letter addressed to all bishops — and through them, to the entire Church and world. It’s one of the most authoritative forms of papal teaching. Rerum Novarum, the document Magnifica Humanitas deliberately echoes, shaped global labour law for over a century.
Q: Why is the Vatican choosing sides in AI? Pope Leo XIV has made AI a priority of his pontificate from day one — his choice of the name “Leo” was itself a reference to Leo XIII and the Industrial Revolution. The Vatican sees AI as a civilisational-level disruption requiring moral guidance, not just technical regulation.
