As machines learn to mimic human thought, the most radical act we can perform is to remember what it means to be truly human.
By Sr. Inosensia Loghe Pati, SSpS*
*Associate Secretary, Department for Christian Formation, Liturgy and Culture Southern Africa Catholic Bishop Conference (SACBC).
The emergence of artificial intelligence (AI) marks a transformative moment in human history, one comparable to the Industrial Revolution of the nineteenth century. In his encyclical Magnificent Humanity (25 May 2026), Pope Leo XIV addresses this profound shift, emphasizing the urgent need to protect human dignity in an age where individuals are increasingly at risk of being reduced to mere data points or functional units. This concern echoes a long-standing theme in Catholic social teaching about the absolute primacy of the human person. As the Second Vatican Council affirmed in Gaudium et Spes, the human person “is the subject and the end of all social institutions” (GS 25). In our current context, the Church’s identity as a ‘humanising community’ becomes not just relevant, but urgently necessary. The Church must reassert its mission by embodying true communion, fostering genuine encounters, and upholding ethical responsibility in the technological age.
The Theological Foundations of a Humanising Church
Christian anthropology is firmly rooted in the belief that every human being is created in the image and likeness of God (imago Dei) (Gen 1:27). This theological foundation establishes human dignity as intrinsic and inalienable. Gaudium et Spes reminds us that “the dignity of the human person is rooted in his creation in the image and likeness of God” (GS 12). Furthermore, the Council explicitly situates the Church within the messy reality of human history, stating that the joys, hopes, griefs, and anxieties of the people “are those of the followers of Christ” (GS 1). This means the Church’s mission is inseparable from the lived human experience. The human person is never an object of pastoral care, but a subject meant for encounter and participation.
This humanizing mission is modeled perfectly in the Incarnation. God enters human history not as an abstract concept, but relationally. In Jesus Christ, God becomes human, affirming the profound dignity of human existence. Because “Christ… fully reveals man to himself,” (GS 22), the Church, as the Body of Christ, must continue this mission: affirming humanity, restoring dignity, and calling all persons into communion.
The Church’s Response to the Digital Age
In response to the rapid proliferation of AI and digital technologies, Magnificent Humanity reaffirms a crucial boundary: technology must serve the human person, and human dignity must never be subordinated to efficiency or utility. The very concept of “Magnificent Humanity” expresses the conviction that the human person, created and redeemed by God, possesses an intrinsic greatness that the Church must continuously recognize, protect, and cultivate. This concern sits comfortably within the Church’s rich social tradition, reflecting the principle articulated by Pope Benedict XVI in Caritas in Veritate: “Technology… is a profoundly human reality, linked to the autonomy and freedom of man” (CV 69).
However, the rise of AI introduces significant risks of dehumanization. These include the reduction of individuals to data profiles, the weakening of true interpersonal relationships, and the erosion of moral responsibility. As Pope Francis warned in Laudato Si’, the “technocratic paradigm tends to dominate economic and political life” (LS 169). Magnificent Humanity extends this critique, emphasizing our ethical responsibility to ensure that technological systems do not undermine the dignity they are meant to serve.
The Church as a Humanising Community
In a fragmented, increasingly digital world, the Church must prioritize real encounters over mediated interactions. Pope Francis consistently emphasizes that the Church is called to be “the house of the Father, with doors always wide open” (Evangelii Gaudium, 47). This vision aligns with the philosopher Martin Buber’s concept of the “I-Thou” relationship, reminding us that “All real living is meeting” (I and Thou, p. 62). In a true encounter, people engage one another authentically, not as objects to be managed, but as subjects to be known. A humanizing Church listens deeply (embodying the synodal way), creates spaces for mutual presence, practices genuine dialogue, and fosters authentic relationships.
Furthermore, the Church must fiercely defend the dignity of every person, especially those marginalized by these very technological systems. This reflects the Church’s preferential option for the poor, as articulated in Evangelii Gaudium: “Each individual Christian and every community is called to be an instrument of God for the liberation and promotion of the poor” (EG 187). In the digital age, the “poor” now include the digitally excluded and those rendered invisible or disadvantaged by algorithmic biases. The African philosophy of Ubuntu, “I am because we are”, powerfully reinforces this communal dimension of dignity.
Recognizing the dignity of the “Other” inherently engenders responsibility. As Pope John Paul II stated in Sollicitudo Rei Socialis, “We are responsible for all,” (SRS 38) and as reiterated in Fratelli Tutti, “every human being has the right to live with dignity and to develop integrally” (FT 107). A humanizing Church must promote ethical accountability, resist the temptation to outsource moral decisions to machines, and uphold the human conscience as central to moral life.
Pastoral Implications
In today’s pastoral reality, this humanizing mission demands a re-centering of the human person. We must shift our focus from merely running programs to prioritizing personal encounters and accompaniment, where each person is listened to, valued, and engaged within their real-life situation. This naturally leads to the building of communities of belonging, particularly through Small Christian Communities and synodal listening, where people are not only welcomed but actively participate and share responsibility. In these spaces, relationships, rather than administrative structures, become the beating heart of ecclesial life.
Simultaneously, the Church must take on the task of forming a “digital conscience” through education. We must guide people to engage ethically and respectfully online, recognizing the profound dignity of others even in virtual spaces. Finally, we must remember that the family remains the primary humanizing community. As noted in Ecclesia in Africa, “The family is the basic cell of society and of the Church” (EA 80). It is where we first learn about love, responsibility, and belonging. Strengthening families ensures that the wider Church can become a true community of encounter, care, and shared mission.
Conclusion
In the age of artificial intelligence, the Church faces a profound and historic challenge: ensuring that humanity remains truly human. Magnificent Humanity calls on the Church to boldly reaffirm its mission as a guardian of human dignity. To be a humanizing community means affirming the immense worth of every person, fostering authentic encounters in a mediated world, and embracing our responsibility for one another. Ultimately, in doing so, the Church participates in Christ’s mission to reveal, restore, and fulfill exactly what it means to be human.
References
Benedict XVI. Caritas in Veritate [Encyclical Letter on Integral Human Development in Charity and Truth]. Vatican Website. June 29, 2009.
Buber, Martin. I and Thou. Translated by Ronald Gregor Smith. New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1958.
Francis. Evangelii Gaudium [Apostolic Exhortation on the Proclamation of the Gospel in Today’s World]. Vatican Website. November 24, 2013.
Francis. Laudato Si’ [Encyclical Letter on Care for Our Common Home]. Vatican Website. May 24, 2015.
Francis. Fratelli Tutti [Encyclical Letter on Fraternity and Social Friendship]. Vatican Website. October 3, 2020.
John Paul II. Sollicitudo Rei Socialis [Encyclical Letter on the Twentieth Anniversary of Populorum Progressio]. Vatican Website. December 30, 1987.
John Paul II. Ecclesia in Africa [Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation on the Church in Africa and Its Evangelizing Mission Towards the Year 2000]. Vatican Website. September 14, 1995.
Leo XIV. Magnifica Humanitas [Encyclical Letter]. Vatican Website. May 25, 2026.
Second Vatican Council. Gaudium et Spes [Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World]. Vatican Website. December 7, 1965.
