EXTON, PA — Catholic publisher Ascension plans to release a special edition of Pope Leo XIV’s first encyclical, Magnifica Humanitas, positioning the document for wider distribution as debates over artificial intelligence increasingly extend beyond technology and business into ethics, labor and human dignity.
The Pennsylvania-based publisher said its edition will include the full text of the encyclical, along with a foreword by Harvard professor and author Arthur C. Brooks and an afterword by Catholic speaker and podcast host Fr. Mike Schmitz.
The publication follows the Vatican’s release of Magnifica Humanitas, which Pope Leo XIV signed on May 15. The document addresses the implications of artificial intelligence through the framework of Catholic social teaching and human dignity.
The encyclical arrives as governments, corporations and academic institutions grapple with the rapid deployment of AI technologies and growing questions surrounding workforce disruption, privacy, human autonomy and technological governance.
According to Ascension, the document intentionally draws parallels to Pope Leo XIII’s 1891 encyclical Rerum Novarum, which examined the social and economic consequences of the Industrial Revolution. Magnifica Humanitas marks the 135th anniversary of that landmark text.
“AI is forcing us to ask not only what technology can do, but what it means to remain fully human,” Ascension President and Chief Executive Officer Jonathan Strate said.
Brooks characterized the encyclical as a response to the accelerating role of artificial intelligence in daily life and work.
“Magnifica Humanitas reminds us that the future will be truly human only if it is guided by love and ordered towards love,” Brooks said.
Schmitz framed the document as a challenge to individual users of AI rather than solely policymakers or technology companies.
“The question of AI isn’t just a societal question about the forces ‘out there,’ it’s a deeply personal question for you and for me,” Schmitz said.
The release underscores how religious institutions are increasingly seeking to influence discussions surrounding emerging technologies, particularly as policymakers and industry leaders debate the long-term societal effects of artificial intelligence.
Ascension said the special edition is available for preorder at www.AscensionPress.com/AI.
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