by Rev. Cameron Trimble, CEO of Convergence
Lately on The Commons, our new online community, many of us come together to talk about AI and how it affects church life. We’ve looked at things like the ethics of AI in ministry, whether AI could develop its own intelligence, how algorithms shape spiritual growth, and what might come next. These conversations have been lively and open-ended, and we’re all still thinking through the issues.
This week, something important happened that connects directly to these conversations.
On May 25, Pope Leo XIV released Magnifica Humanitas, or “Magnificent Humanity,” which is the Catholic Church’s first major theological statement about artificial intelligence. It came out on Monday and is already being called a landmark. No matter your tradition, if you lead a progressive faith community, this document deserves your close attention.
Here are five key points to know.
1. This is the Catholic Church’s equivalent of its landmark labor encyclical, and the timing was intentional.
Leo XIV signed Magnifica Humanitas on May 15, which was the 135th anniversary of Rerum Novarum. That 1891 encyclical by Pope Leo XIII defended workers against the harsh effects of industrial capitalism. Rerum Novarum became the basis for modern Catholic social teaching and influenced labor law, workers’ rights movements, and theological ethics for over a century.
Pope Leo XIV picked that date intentionally. The message is clear: just as the Industrial Revolution was a turning point for Leo XIII, the AI revolution is a turning point for Leo XIV. The Church is making its position known early and is continuing its tradition of standing up for human dignity against anything that would treat people as objects.[1]
Progressive Protestant traditions have similar roots, like the Social Gospel, the prophetic tradition, and liberation theology. This encyclical is a call to revisit and renew those foundations.
2. Leo is calling for AI to be “disarmed,” and he means it structurally, not just ethically
The encyclical’s most urgent point is that artificial intelligence should not be allowed to put too much power in the hands of a few people. “A more moral AI is not enough if that morality is determined by a few,” Leo writes. He calls for strong legal rules, independent oversight, and democratic control over AI development, not just voluntary ethical promises from the companies creating it.
He indirectly referred to the two biggest U.S. AI companies, each now worth hundreds of billions of dollars, almost as much as the GDP of some mid-sized countries. In Leo’s view, this concentration of power is a structural problem that needs structural solutions. This kind of language will sound familiar to those who know Catholic social teaching about solidarity and subsidiarity. Progressive Protestants who have argued for years about healthcare, housing, and democracy will also recognize it.
The encyclical was presented at the Vatican with the co-founder of Anthropic, one of those major AI companies, which caused some controversy. Still, Leo’s message does not hold back its criticism to please the guests.
3. He declared “just war” theory outdated, which is a major theological step.
One of the encyclical’s most striking points is about AI in warfare. Leo says clearly that the Catholic Church’s centuries-old “just war” framework, which sets rules for when and how force can be used, is now “outdated” because of the new reality of AI-guided weapons. He says it is “not permissible to entrust irreversible, lethal decisions to AI systems” and calls for full transparency in the chain of command whenever AI is used in military decisions.
For churches that have relied on just war theory to think about war and peace, this is a big change. It is also a realistic one. When a drone can be guided by an algorithm to make a life-or-death decision in milliseconds without a human involved, the old ethical frameworks from the days of swords and rifles are no longer enough.
Progressive churches have often questioned just war theory. Leo’s statement gives more theological support to that skepticism and creates room for new ways of thinking.
4. He apologized for the Church’s role in the slave trade, and this apology is an important part of the document.
The encyclical contains the first papal apology for the Holy See’s past role in supporting the enslavement of African peoples and giving European rulers religious permission to enslave others. This apology is included in a document about artificial intelligence, and it is not off-topic.
Leo is making a clear point: the Church has made mistakes before about who is considered human, whose humanity should be protected, and which technologies or systems it supported. A document urging the Church to resist the dehumanizing risks of AI must honestly face its own history of dehumanization. The apology gives the Church the right to speak on this issue. This is now a challenge to every faith institution reading this document, including ours. Where have our traditions been complicit? What will we be apologizing for in 135 years?
5. Progressive Protestant churches have the right values, but they do not yet have the needed structure.
This might be the most important practical point to make.
The Catholic tradition has been developing its social ethics for centuries. But 135 years ago, with Rerum Novarum, it began building the specific, systematic framework of modern Catholic Social Teaching, one that now extends from Leo XIII to Laudato Si’ to Magnifica Humanitas, designed precisely to engage the great disruptions of each new era. When a new crisis comes, the Church has a framework ready to use.
Progressive mainline Protestants share the same core values: human dignity, the common good, justice for those who are vulnerable, and holding the powerful accountable. What we often lack is the theological structure to turn those values into clear, ongoing public teaching when facing new challenges.
AI is a new area for us. Our congregants are already dealing with the questions it brings. They use these tools at work and at home, see algorithms changing what their children see, learn, and believe, and are trying to figure out how to respond faithfully, often without much help from their churches.
This is our opportunity. We should not just agree with what Leo has said, even though his document deserves our real attention. Instead, we have the chance to develop our own voice, in our own tradition, with the same seriousness the Catholic Church has shown.
The discussions on The Commons are one place where this work is starting. I hope you will join us.
Magnifica Humanitas is available in full at vatican.va. It is worth reading.
Rev. Cameron Trimble is CEO of Convergence. Join the ongoing conversation about AI, faith, and congregational life at gatheratthecommons.com.
[1] Pope Leo XIII, Rerum Novarum (May 15, 1891). Pope Leo XIV signed Magnifica Humanitas on May 15, 2026 — exactly 135 years to the day.