Pope Leo XIV has named artificial intelligence as one of the significant reasons behind his choice of papal name.
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During a speech to the College of Cardinals on May 10, 2025, the new pope highlighted the parallels between the challenges posed by AI today and those during the industrial revolution when Pope Leo XIII served. “I chose to take the name Leo XIV,” the pope explained.
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There are different reasons for this, but mainly because Pope Leo XIII in his historic Encyclical addressed the social question in the context of the first great industrial revolution. In our own day, the Church offers to everyone the treasury of her social teaching in response to another industrial revolution and to developments in the field of artificial intelligence that pose new challenges for the defence of human dignity, justice, and labour.
The Catholic Church has shown an active interest in the development and ethical implications of AI in recent years.
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In January, a Church document reflected on AI’s limitations, its relationship with the truth, and the ethics surrounding its development and usage.
This document also referenced a statement by Pope Francis regarding AI’s potential to create “partially or completely false narratives, believed and broadcast as if they were true.
With Pope Leo XIV emphasizing AI as a reason for his papal name, it suggests that addressing the multifaceted impacts of this technology will be a significant focus during his papacy. His alignment with Pope Leo XIII underscores a continuing commitment to tackling social issues born from industrial and technological advancements. In his first Sunday noon blessing as pontiff, Pope Leo XIV called for a just and lasting peace in Ukraine and an immediate ceasefire in Gaza with the release of hostages and delivery of humanitarian aid.
“I too address the world’s great powers by repeating the ever-present call ‘never again war,'” Leo said from the loggia of St. Peter’s Basilica. This marked the first time Leo had returned to the loggia since he initially appeared to the world on Thursday evening following his historic election as the first pope from the United States.
On that occasion as well, he conveyed a message of peace. Leo continued the papal tradition of offering a noon blessing but introduced several new elements. Unlike his predecessors, who greeted from the studio window of the Apostolic Palace, Leo chose to pray from the center of the square, the heart of the basilica.
He added a personal touch by singing the Regina Caeli prayer, a Latin prayer typically recited during the Easter season. Wearing the simple white cassock of the papacy and a silver pectoral cross, Leo quoted Pope Francis in condemning the numerous conflicts ravaging the globe, describing the situation as a “third world war in pieces.”
I carry in my heart the sufferings of the beloved Ukrainian people,” he said. “Let everything possible be done to achieve genuine, just and lasting peace as soon as possible.” He called for the release of prisoners of war and the return of Ukrainian children to their families.
Additionally, he welcomed the ceasefire between India and Pakistan. Pope Leo XIV also urgently called for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and for humanitarian relief for the “exhausted civilian population” and the freedom of all hostages. In a note of personal warmth, Leo acknowledged that Sunday was Mother’s Day in many countries and wished all mothers, “including those in heaven,” a Happy Mother’s Day.
The crowd, filled with marching bands in town for a special Jubilee weekend, erupted in cheers and music as the bells of St. Peter’s Basilica tolled. Italian authorities estimated some 100,000 people were in the square.
Earlier on Sunday, Leo celebrated a private Mass near the tomb of St. Peter with the head of his Augustinian order, the Rev. Alejandro Moral Anton.
Leo XIV highlights AI issues
The Mass took place in the grottoes beneath St. Peter’s, the traditional burial site of St.
Peter, the apostle considered the first pope. This area also contains the tombs of past popes, including Pope Benedict XVI. On Saturday, Leo prayed before the tomb of Pope Francis, located at St.
Mary Major Basilica. The 69-year-old Chicago-born missionary was elected as the 267th pope on Thursday, following the April 21 death of Francis. Pope Leo XIV formally met with cardinals for the first time in the Vatican on Saturday.
He indicated that his papacy would closely follow in the footsteps of the late Pope Francis, urging church cardinals to embrace that “precious legacy” and identifying artificial intelligence as a major challenge for the defense of human dignity. Born in Chicago as Robert Prevost, Pope Leo XIV was elected Thursday, to the surprise and delight of many Catholics across the Americas. In his first formal meeting with cardinals, which began with a standing ovation, the new pontiff explained that he chose his papal name to honor Pope Leo XIII.
Pope Leo XIII is remembered for addressing the social questions of the first great industrial revolution and is known for his famous 1891 letter, “Rerum Novarum” (“Of Revolutionary Change”), reflecting on the impact of the Industrial Revolution on workers. In our own day, the church offers to everyone the treasury of her social teaching in response to another industrial revolution and to developments in the field of artificial intelligence that pose new challenges for the defense of human dignity, justice, and labor,” Pope Leo XIV said, speaking in fluent Italian. Wearing the white robes of the papacy, he emphasized that his leadership would build upon Pope Francis’ church reforms and legacy of social justice.
“It has been clearly seen in the example of so many of my predecessors, and most recently by Pope Francis himself, with his example of complete dedication to service and to sober simplicity of life, his abandonment to God throughout his ministry and his serene trust at the moment of his return to the Father’s house,” Pope Leo stated. “Let us take up this precious legacy and continue on the journey, inspired by the same hope that is born of faith.”
Pope Leo XIV’s first meeting with the cardinals took place in the Vatican’s synod hall instead of the usual apostolic palace. He asked the senior church leaders to renew their commitment to the pivotal reforms enacted in the 1960s, which included allowing Mass to be celebrated in local languages rather than in Latin.
Leo stressed that the church should be guided by a missionary focus, “growth in collegiality and synodality,” and courageous dialogue with contemporary society. Pope Leo XIV also conducted Mass in the Sistine Chapel at the Vatican on May 9. He called for humility and fraternity in his leadership, expressing gratitude to the cardinals for their support.
“Your presence reminds me that the Lord, who has entrusted me with this mission, will not leave me alone in bearing its responsibility,” he said. Following the meeting with cardinals, Leo visited an Augustinian sanctuary just outside Rome, the Madonna del Buon Consiglio (Mother of Good Counsel), in Genazzano. As the first pontiff from the Augustinian religious order, the visit held significant meaning for him.
The sanctuary is also linked to his namesake, Leo XIII, who had a strong devotion to Mary as “Our Lady of Good Counsel.” Addressing those gathered outside the church, Pope Leo expressed his desire to carry forward his mission as the Successor of Peter. Pope Leo will appear on the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica for a second time on Sunday to greet crowds expected to number 150,000.
His installation Mass will take place the following week on Sunday, May 18.
April Isaacs is a news contributor for DevX.com She is long-term, self-proclaimed nerd. She loves all things tech and computers and still has her first Dreamcast system. It is lovingly named Joni, after Joni Mitchell.
