Formation at the Frontier: Pope Leo XIV Discourse on AI and Digital Media

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

2026

Abstract

Pope Leo XIV stated that artificial intelligence (AI) will be one of the defining concerns of his pontifical mission. This article provides the first systematic analysis of the Pope’s theoretical position on AI and digital media during the first six months of his pontificate, analyzed from a media-religion perspective. Conducting qualitative thematic and rhetorical analyses of all papal documents published in the first six months and two weeks of Leo XIV’s pontificate, from May 10, 2025 (the date of Pope Leo XIV’s first public address) to November 24, 2025, the study examines 28 official messages and writings. The analysis identified five interconnected conceptual domains of the Pope’s content theme and strategy. They include affective and relational ecosystem, algorithmic & data mediatization, anthropogenic ontology of AI & the digital, ethical formation grounded in anthropology, and primacy of relational anthropology. It finds that, for the Pope, a determination of AI’s ethics depends on their service of human dignity, relational intelligence, and moral discernment through formation-based ethics. Five rhetorical devices through which the pope makes his case were also identified and discussed. The implications of the Pope’s theoretical position on digital education and media and religion dialogue are also examined.

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