Pope Leo XIV will release his first encyclical letter, Magnifica humanitas, on May 25, 2026. The document tackles preserving the human person in the age of artificial intelligence and carries the Pope's signature dated May 15th — the 135th anniversary of Pope Leo XIII's Rerum novarum. The release marks a historic moment for the Vatican engaging directly with AI ethics.

Presenting alongside the Pope will be Christopher Olah, co-founder of Anthropic and head of its interpretability research, alongside theologians and Church officials including Cardinal Víctor Manuel Fernández and Professor Anna Rowlands of Durham University. Professor Leocadie Lushombo from Santa Clara University and Cardinal Michael Czerny round out the speaker lineup.

Cardinal Pietro Parolin will close with remarks before the Pope delivers a blessing. This encyclical brings together a tech researcher and theologians to frame AI governance through Catholic social thought — a rare cross-disciplinary move for Vatican policy documents. The May 25 date ties the release to a 135-year tradition of Catholic social teaching applied to new technology.