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LEOPOPE
Address

Address to the College of Cardinals

Date:
May 10, 2025
Type:
Address
Location:
Synod Hall, Vatican
Audience:
Members of the College of Cardinals
Original language:
IT
Artificial IntelligenceTechnologyEconomy
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Summary

Meeting the cardinals after the conclave, Pope Leo XIV explained his choice of name, connecting it to Leo XIII and Rerum novarum, and identifying artificial intelligence and a new industrial revolution as the defining challenge to human dignity and labour in our time.

Key points

  • Explained that the name Leo honours Leo XIII and Rerum novarum.
  • Framed artificial intelligence and automation as this era's equivalent social question.
  • Called for the benefits of technological progress to reach workers and the poor.
  • Committed to synodality and collegial governance.
  • Set out early priorities in continuity with Pope Francis.

Important quotes

…the developments in the field of artificial intelligence that pose new challenges for the defence of human dignity, justice and labour.
Source: Vatican.va (Holy See)

Context

This address is the primary reference point for reporting on why the pope chose the name Leo and for his early emphasis on AI. It set up his first encyclical a year later.

Sources

LeoPope links to primary and official texts wherever they exist. See our sources policy.

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