Speaking to journalists outside Castel Gandolfo on Tuesday evening, Pope Leo renews his appeal for humanitarian assistance in Gaza, warns against the use of artificial intelligence in warfare that disregards human life, and highlights ongoing dialogue with AI Company Anthropic.

Speaking to journalists outside his residence in Castel Gandolfo on Tuesday evening, Pope Leo once again called on the international community to assist the people of Gaza, insisting that human rights must be respected “for everyone”.

Responding to a question about activists involved in the Gaza-bound Global Sumud Flotilla, following reports that some had been handcuffed and blindfolded., the Pope said that “we must renew our appeal for the respect of the human rights” of every person.

He went on to lament the continued suffering of civilians in Gaza, noting that “unfortunately, the people of Gaza are still not receiving humanitarian aid”. The Pope explained that this situation “is provoking protests” and with them complications, including those who were involved in the Flotilla. 

“I would also like to renew this not only as an invitation, but truly as an appeal”, he continued, urging “all authorities to assist and accompany the people of Gaza, and to help begin reconstruction”. “The people are truly suffering”, the Pope said, adding that they “continue to suffer greatly”.

Asked what it means when unarmed peace activists are met with violence, Pope Leo warned of the danger of fuelling further hatred. “We are provoking more and more hatred,” he said, adding that “violence does not help. From any side”. Instead, the Pope stressed the need “to return to negotiations” and “to seek, through dialogue, to resolve problems”, always “respecting the human rights of everyone”.

As Pope Leo XIV’s encyclical ‘Magnifica humanitas‘ is unveiled, Professor Anna Rowlands, theologian at Durham University, tells Vatican News that such a powerful message—addressing both the benefits and dangers of our AI era—will leave an enduring mark on the Church and the world.

 “There is not a tomorrow to begin thinking about these issues.”

Professor Anna Rowlands, theologian at Durham University in the United Kingdom, stressed this point in an interview with Vatican News following the release of Pope Leo XIV’s first encyclical, Magnifica humainitas: On safeguarding the Human Person in the Time of Artificial Intelligence, presented at the Vatican on May 25. 

The document, signed by Pope Leo on May 15 – the 135th anniversary of Pope Leo XIII’s landmark encyclical Rerum Novarum – was unveiled in the Vatican’s New Synod Hall in the presence of the Pope himself. Professor Rowlands was among the speakers at the presentation.

Speaking to Vatican News on the side-lines of the event, Professor Rowlands described the encyclical as “an absolutely vital contribution” for two principal reasons.

First, humanity is facing a moment of profound urgency regarding the technological issues addressed in the document.  “There is not a tomorrow to begin to think about these issues,” she warned, “because their impact on workplaces, on labour, on immigrants, on families, on political society and on conflicts globally is now, and was yesterday, and will continue tomorrow as well.”

She acknowledged that many people feel uncertain or unqualified to engage with questions surrounding artificial intelligence. Professor Rowlands suggested that one of the central concerns of Magnifica Humanitas is ensuring that these questions are not left solely to private spaces shaped primarily by profit rather than by human dignity.

“How do we create common spaces,” she asked, “where particularly the voices of the most marginalized, and those most harshly affected by the reality of an algorithmic order, a digital horizon, and an AI world, are heard first?” The encyclical insists that those voices must be central to any conversation aimed at promoting the common good.

The Holy Father, challenges society to reflect on fundamental questions: “What do we think human life is? Who are we as human beings? What vision and goal are we aiming for in our humanity and in our lives together?”

“He offers us both a very strong set of criticisms,” she continued, “of the false storylines, the false narratives about what it means to be human, particularly those that place power and domination over others, whether in politics, war, conflict, or the economy.” In contrast to those narratives, Pope Leo proposes “a rather beautiful vision of a civilization of love.”

The encyclical urges humanity to recover a shared moral imagination, especially “a way of seeing one another and the world that recognizes the inherent value of the human person.” The encyclical warns against transferring human dignity to technological tools or imagining that AI could somehow become “more human” than humanity itself, while simultaneously diminishing our own humanity.

At the same time, the document is also an invitation. “We need together to build that civilization of love,” and we only do that through fully living into a sense that we are finite creatures created for love, yearning for justice, and that we create that world together in participation.”

Professor Rowlands concluded by reflecting on Magnifica humanitas within the broader tradition of Catholic social teaching.

“Magnifica humanitas is fresh and new because it is addressing AI,” but it stands within a long tradition of encyclicals focused on industrialization, capitalism, the condition of work, and the meaning of technology for human beings.” The message of Pope Leo XIV’s encyclical, she suggested, is one that will resonate far beyond the present and will impact generations.

Following the Regina Caeli prayer, Pope Leo XIV entrusts Chinese Christians to the Virgin Mary, praying that they might be witnesses of “hope and peace.” The Pope’s thoughts also turn to those suffering from the conflict in the Holy Land.

Following the Regina Caeli prayer on Sunday, the Pope marked the World Day of Prayer for the Church in China. The day of prayer, the Pope noted, coincides with the feast of the Blessed Virgin Mary Help of Christians, who is venerated “with profound devotion” at the Shrine of Sheshan in Shanghai.

Pope Leo thus entrusted the Chinese Christian community to Mary, in order that it might continue bear witness to the Gospel:

“Let us join our prayers with those of Chinese Catholics, as a sign of our affection for them and of their communion with the universal Church and with the Successor of Peter. May the intercession of the Queen of Heaven grant the believing community in China the grace of unity and give everyone the strength to witness the Gospel in their daily struggles, so that they might be seeds of hope and peace. In particular, I invoke eternal peace for the victims of the recent mining accident in northern China.”

The Pope then renewed his appeal to Mary, Help of Christians, entrusting to her “the Christian communities of the Holy Land, Lebanon, and the entire Middle East, who are suffering because of war.”

Over 500 children with suspected and confirmed cases of measles have died in Bangladesh since March, according to the country’s health ministry

Al Amin, who lives with his family in the Bangladeshi capital of Dhaka, says his daughter had all her vaccines, apart from measles. On 8 March Al Amin took Akira to hospital, suffering with what he thought was a normal fever. She improved, went home, and then started developing a rash, a high fever and sores in her mouth. She was discharged and readmitted to hospital a total of five times, Al Amin says; only on the fifth occasion did a doctor tell him she was suffering from measles. Akira was put on life support. She died 27 days after she was first admitted. Over 500 children with suspected and confirmed cases of measles have died in Bangladesh since March, according to the country’s health ministry.

The health minister said last week that doctors and nurses treating those with the virus have had their Eid holiday leave cancelled and the government has been running a mass vaccination campaign to slow the spread and save lives. Akira’s parents tried on four occasions to get her vaccinated against measles, but were unable.

Al Amin says he and his wife still torture themselves, thinking that their daughter may have picked up the virus in the hospital. Al Amin says he and his wife still torture themselves, thinking that their daughter may have picked up the virus in the hospital. “From the ticket counter line to the x-ray room, there was a measles patient everywhere,” he says.

He is angry; that his child couldn’t get a vaccine, that her symptoms were missed, that he feels the hospitals failed to keep patients with measles apart from others.

In just over two months, the number of suspected cases of measles have reached over 60,000 in Bangladesh, according to the health ministry. The exact number has not been confirmed, as many are waiting for results from the laboratory.

Highly contagious, measles spreads quickly through coughs and sneezes and is particularly dangerous for unvaccinated young children under the age of 5.