From AI to war, Pope wields the Vatican’s soft power amid growing distrust of political leaders

October 10, 2026 — 2:00am

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Rome: The deadline is set for a decision in the White House on technology that promises – or threatens – seismic change to the way humanity lives and works. Donald Trump wants advice within 120 days from a new task force on artificial intelligence that is under orders to ensure America dominates the field in a race against China.

“We will not in any way hinder or stifle the Growth of this incredible Industry,” the US president declared last month. His latest move came last Sunday, when he named former spy boss Jay Clayton to lead the White House’s new “Super Intelligence Force” and report on AI risks and opportunities. Nobody is in any doubt that the president wants a road map that highlights the sunny vistas ahead, rather than the chasms beside the highway.

One man, however, is seeking to avert what he fears could be a robotic future that weakens what it means to be human. Pope Leo XIV, a graduate in both mathematics and church law, has emerged this year as one of the leading global critics of the rush towards digital models that leap ahead of human thought.

The deeper argument is about much more than Trump and the tech bros of the AI business. Pope Leo is wielding the soft power of the Vatican at a time of growing unrest in the world and distrust in political leaders. Whether the issue is war, migration, poverty or faith, he presents a worldview at odds with those who wield hard power.

“New forms of slavery are fuelled by economic chains and digital infrastructures,” the Pope says in his analysis of AI. This warning about slavery is a constant theme in the 42,000-word papal encyclical on the issue, which peppers its theology with quotes from authors ranging from J.R.R. Tolkien to Hannah Arendt.

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“If technology becomes the ultimate criterion, the human person risks being reduced to data, a cog in a machine or a commodity,” the Pope says. “If, however, technology is integrated with a wise perspective, it can become an instrument of growth, justice and fraternity.”

This is not a call to halt new forms of computation or slow progress. It is an argument to keep humanity in charge and ensure people share the benefits. And the Pope is making sure political leaders hear his warning. On Wednesday, for example, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese met the papal envoy on AI, Father Paolo Benanti. They appeared to agree on the problem.

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