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Original article: Chile entre las bambalinas vaticanas de la Encíclica «Magnifica Humanitas»

By Leopoldo Lavín Mujica

On May 25, Pope Leo XIV issued the first-ever papal encyclical focusing on Artificial Intelligence (AI), warning that control over AI must not be concentrated in the hands of a few, cautioning it could reduce humanity to mere data, functions, or commodities. Reports indicate that industry leaders openly admit that the costs associated with AI are offset by layoffs in the workforce.

Connecting the Dots: Peter Thiel’s Visit to Santiago Two Weeks Prior

In May 2026, Peter Thiel, a controversial figure among some Vatican intellectuals and known as a co-founder of PayPal and Palantir, held discreet meetings in Santiago with far-right Chilean leaders.

A two-hour meeting with Johannes Kaiser, the leader of the Libertarian National Party, confirmed that Thiel was interested in investing in mining ventures in Chile and Argentina, describing Europe as «practically unsalvageable.»

He also met with José Piñera, the architect of pension reforms under Pinochet. An unofficial encounter with President Kast was confirmed, though not acknowledged by La Moneda.

This visit isn’t an isolated event. Thiel resides in Buenos Aires and maintains connections with the circle of Javier Milei, weaving a similar ultra-right network in South America that he formed in the United States, where he was a key financier of J.D. Vance, now the Vice President under Trump. Moreover, he has a pending agenda with the Vatican…

The Origins of This Discourse

For 135 years, the Church has been involved in addressing the significant technological disruptions of modern capitalism.

The Rerum Novarum of 1891 was its response to the Industrial Revolution and the resulting worker suffering. Since then, each major transformation has prompted an encyclical: fascism, the Cold War, globalization, ecological deterioration. AI was the missing piece. The man who most epitomizes the Vatican’s contrasting vision had already visited Rome with disappointing outcomes.

Why This Matters

Pope Leo XIV introduced his inaugural encyclical, Magnifica Humanitas, a 110-page document addressing the effects of AI on human dignity. The first pope from the United States asserts that AI should not be considered morally neutral and calls for its «disarmament» to prevent it from overpowering humanity.

The encyclical underscores the need for the ecclesiastical and civil communities to prioritize human dignity so that technological progress does not reduce individuals to functions, data, or services. This marks the first time a pope has personally presented an encyclical to the world, highlighting the significance Pope Leo XIV attaches to this issue.

Central to the critique is the concentration of power within the private sector and capitalist dynamics. The document warns that in the digital age, traditional principles of social doctrine—common good, equality, dignity, solidarity—are essential to prevent new monopolies of data and algorithms that marginalize the most vulnerable.

The encyclical does not condemn technology; rather, it argues that AI should not be viewed as an inherent threat or evil, yet it is not neutral: it reflects the interests and choices of those who create, fund, regulate, and employ it.

The final chapter warns against the «culture of power» that normalizes war and the application of AI in weapon systems and advocates for revitalizing «the civilization of love»—not as a naïve utopia but as a demanding project that translates charity into structures of justice.

The Figures Behind the Encyclical and Their Significance

For the first time in the recent history of the Church, an AI researcher sat alongside a pope to present a Magisterial text.

The panel that Pope Leo XIV assembled for the May 25 event serves as an intellectual map of the document—such lists in the Vatican are never accidental.

Cardinals Víctor Manuel Fernández and Michael Czerny symbolize the doctrinal and social aspects of Catholic reflection, respectively. Fernández is Argentine and serves as the prefect of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, safeguarding theological orthodoxy. Czerny, a Czech-Canadian Jesuit, heads the Dicastery for Integral Human Development and has decades of experience in human rights and migration.

Their joint presence suggests that the document sought to balance dogma and social commitment, addressing the historical tensions within the Church’s social doctrine.

Leocadie Lushombo, a Congolese theologian from the Jesuit School of Theology in Santa Clara, introduces the perspective of the Global South: a reminder that the impact of AI will fall hardest on those with the least power to influence its shape.

Anna Rowlands, a political theologian at Durham University, brings the British tradition of Catholic social thought and a strong commitment to migration issues. Her inclusion indicates the document’s intent to extend beyond the Rome-Washington axis.

Christopher Olah, co-founder of Anthropic and a leader in AI research, focuses on interpretability: ensuring that AI systems are transparent. His work emphasizes how to ensure AI serves the interests of the humans it is meant to assist. His invitation implies that Pope Leo XIV was not satisfied with broad moral declarations: the Church aimed to delve into technical aspects of the debate, understanding how models are trained, how biases are generated, and what mechanisms allow or hinder effective human control.

At the event, Olah candidly acknowledged that «all leading AI labs operate within a set of incentives that can sometimes conflict with doing the right thing,» emphasizing the need for dialogue with religions and the humanities.

However, presenting does not equate to authorship. The Vatican has not disclosed who contributed to the writing of the text itself (a common practice in the Holy See). The list from May 25 corresponds to presenters, not necessarily authors. Questions regarding Anthropic’s influence on the content—beyond the presentation—remain open.

Underlying Political Tensions

Olah’s presence in the Vatican strained relations with the Trump administration, which banned Anthropic’s technology for use in federal agencies after the company refused to provide its AI for military applications. The first American pope and the first American president have been on a collision course for weeks.

In this context, Thiel traveled to Rome last March to give lectures arguing that ethical regulation of AI is a «satanic structure» that hinders progress. The Pontifical University of Saint Thomas Aquinas, Leo XIV’s alma mater, canceled the event, forcing him to seek refuge in a secret location within the city. Weeks later, he was in Santiago meeting with Kaiser.

The Institutional Framework Ahead

The day after the encyclical’s issuance, the Vatican established a Commission on Artificial Intelligence that brings together seven institutions: the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, the Dicastery for Culture and Education, the Dicastery for Communication, the Pontifical Academy for Life, and the Pontifical Academies of Sciences and Social Sciences, coordinated annually on a rotating basis commencing with Czerny.

This composition itself serves as a map: it demonstrates how the Vatican currently perceives the problem. The real question is whether an institution 2,000 years old can keep pace with a technology evolving in mere weeks.

The Commission exists. The principles are set. And while the Vatican formulates doctrine, Thiel is building ultra-right networks in Buenos Aires, Santiago, and at the fringes of a global right that does not seek permission from anyone to advance.

Leopoldo Lavín Mujica

La entrada Chile in the Vatican Spotlight: The Impact of Pope Leo XIV’s Encyclical on Artificial Intelligence se publicó primero en El Ciudadano.