New Delhi, May 27 -- Artificial intelligence has now become so big and important enough that even the Vatican is treating it not merely as a technology, but as a defining social and political challenge of the modern era.

In Magnifica Humanitas (magnificent humanity, in this context of the Vatican document, the title is meant to emphasize the value and dignity of human beings in an age increasingly shaped by artificial intelligence and automation), his first encyclical (an official letter written by the Pope to guide people on important social, moral, or religious issues) released on May 15, 2026, Pope Leo XIV argues that AI is reshaping economies, labour, warfare, communication, and even human relationships at a pace that institutions ar...