By the Powers of Gandalf and the Pope, a Holy War Has Been Declared on AI

The Pope has spoken—and it turns out supporting AI is not something Jesus would do. 

Well, kind of. The Holy Father on Monday published the first encyclical of his papacy, or a teaching document. In it, he emphasized that the rapid rise of the technology is off-track from the otherwise ecclesiastical virtues of humanity and truth—and that governments, companies, and people should be wary of creating another “Tower of Babel,” referring to a Biblical city-tower in which one single language was spoken. (Per lore, the tower was eventually smote by God, and the people in it were scattered around the world.)

In the 42,300-word “Magnifica Humanitas,” Pope Leo also urges for more oversight in how we advance AI. “Calling for prudence, rigorous evaluation and even, at times, a slower pace in adopting AI does not mean opposing progress,” he writes, “Instead, it is an exercise of responsible care.” It’s worth noting that while the Pope never says he’s against innovation or the rise of technologies generally, he says it must be considered a “force antagonistic to humanity.”

At one point, the Pope also cites J.R.R. Tolkien—specifically Gandalf—to emphasize a shared responsibility among people. Per the document:

The twentieth-century Catholic author J.R.R. Tolkien, in the words of a protagonist in one of his novels, described our responsibility in this way: “It is not our part to master all the tides of the world, but to do what is in us for the succour of those years wherein we are set, uprooting the evil in the fields that we know, so that those who live after may have clean earth to till.”

The encyclical was formally introduced at the Vatican, where tech executives and AI-thumpers gathered over the weekend to present the document. Christopher Olah, co-founder of Anthropic, was also at the presentation. 

the pope wrote a 42,000 word manifesto declaring war on AI. we are so freaking back. https://t.co/mOVLRNnWef

— Georgia Coley (@artwithinpod) May 25, 2026

Pope Leo also addresses the use of AI in warfare in the document, saying the “digital revolution is changing the nature of conflict,” and that the excuse to use it for defense can be “rapidly repurposed for offense.” “The growing ease with which autonomous weapons systems can be deployed makes war more “feasible” and less subject to human control.” He also declares the “just war theory” outdated—referring to the stance that wars can be justifiable through moral means. 

It’s hard not to consider this as a critique of the administration, which—since declaring a war on Iran—hasn’t shut up about its religious right to do so. Secretary of War Defense Pete Hegseth started implementing weekly prayer sessions at the Pentagon; various complaints have come from the ranks, saying higher-ups are echoing religious rhetoric like calling the war a “biblically-sanctioned” one; and in one of these sessions, Hegseth prayed for an “overwhelming violence” to happen against his enemies. Yikes!

many will probably disagree but what a thoughtful, nuanced response to AI from a religious leader… it is actually startling when a religious leader gives evidence of caring for the well-being of others & does not merely repeat familiar phrases & injunctions to confirm his own… https://t.co/PwyTv0If9l

— Joyce Carol Oates (@JoyceCarolOates) May 26, 2026

 

And the anti-AI messaging in general feels like another elegant slight against Trump, who’s been bullish with AI use—who, on one occasion, used it to generate himself into a poster of Jesus. In April, Trump also picked a fight with the Pope after the latter hosted a peace vigil in Vatican City, saying that praying for peace acts as “a bulwark against that delusion of omnipotence that surrounds us and is becoming increasingly unpredictable and aggressive.”

Alas, the encyclical also never names Trump—but sometimes, these things don’t have to. At least until the old geezer in office lands on Truth Social…