Pope Leo XIV’s AI Encyclical: How Silicon Valley Shapes the Vatican’s Stance on Artificial Intelligence

Pope Leo XIV is expected to unveil an official papal document on the ethics of artificial intelligence on May 25, 2026. The release follows a concerted lobbying effort by major technology firms, including Meta, Google, and Amazon, which have sought to convince the Vatican that AI can be developed for the benefit of humanity.

According to reporting by POLITICO, the tech industry has engaged in a quiet push to influence the contents of the Pope’s first encyclical through embassy events, small-group meetings, and Catholic intermediaries. These efforts aim to position Silicon Valley as a partner in the ethical development of AI as one of the world’s oldest moral authorities determines its stance on the technology.

On April 29, 2026, Father Eric Salobir led a delegation to meet with Pope Leo XIV in Vatican City. The group included representatives from Meta, Google, and Amazon, who later attended a multi-hour meeting at the French embassy to the Holy See in central Rome. Paolo Ruffini, the Vatican’s top communications official, met with the representatives to discuss the intersection of cutting-edge technology and moral judgment.

The April 29, 2026, meeting included several key industry and policy figures:

• Benoit Tabaka, director of institutional relations and public policy for Google in southern Europe.
• Claire Scharwatt, head of public policy at Amazon France.
• Claudia Trivilino, public policy manager for Italy and Greece at Meta.
• Adrien Abecassis, director of policy initiatives at the Paris Peace Forum and former advisor to French President Emmanuel Macron.
• Sarah El Haïry, the French government’s high commissioner for children.

While the initial focus of the gathering was child protection, participants reported that the discussion expanded to the impacts of AI on human sociability and the risks associated with tools that provide seamless communication. A summary note from the meeting was sent to Clara Chappaz, France’s minister delegate for artificial intelligence and digital affairs, to inform digital policy discussions at the G7.

Corporate Partnerships and Ethical Frameworks

The relationship between the Vatican and the AI sector extends to specific corporate frameworks. Christopher Olah, a cofounder of the AI research company Anthropic, is expected to join Pope Leo XIV for the presentation of the encyclical on May 25, 2026. Anthropic has cultivated ties with the Vatican based on its focus on AI safety and its refusal to allow its technology to be used for autonomous weapons or the surveillance of American citizens.

In January 2026, Anthropic released a “constitution” to guide the development of its flagship AI model, Claude. The company credited two advisors to the Holy See as contributors to this document: Bishop Paul Tighe, secretary of the Vatican’s Dicastery for Culture and Education, and Father Brendan McGuire, a Silicon Valley priest and former engineer.

Another conduit between the tech world and the Holy See is Éric Salobir, a former investment banker and current Holy See expert. Salobir chairs the executive committee of the Human Technology Foundation, an organization promoting ethical reflection on technology that includes members such as Qualcomm, Palantir, and Google. In 2024, Salobir worked with the French Embassy to the Holy See to launch the French AI Observatory in Rome, providing a forum for closed-door exchanges between Vatican officials and the technology sector.

International Influence and Political Reactions

The United States government has also attempted to shape the Vatican’s thinking on AI. In early May 2026, the US Embassy to the Holy See hosted events on artificial intelligence and work, supported by the embassies of Japan, Taiwan, the UK, and Australia.

Among the attendees was George Osborne, the former British chancellor of the exchequer and current lead for country relations at OpenAI. Osborne discussed the potential for AI to deepen inequality and the future of the workforce with Bishop Paul Tighe. Noam Yuchtman, a researcher at the London School of Economics, stated that such outreach is intended to show the Vatican that certain companies are taking an ethical approach to the technology.

However, the diplomatic efforts have occurred against a backdrop of tension between the Vatican and the Trump administration. In April 2026, Donald Trump criticized Pope Leo XIV, stating he was “not a big fan” of a pope who criticizes the president of the United States.

JD Vance, the American vice president and a convert to Catholicism, expressed a cautious view of the upcoming document during a White House press conference in the week preceding May 25, 2026.

“When the Pope issues an encyclical on artificial intelligence, it’s going to have some influence,” Vance said. “I’m sure it will contain a lot of insights, some of which I’ll probably agree with, some of which I may not. But I think it’s going to be a very, very important document.”

Historical and Papal Context

Pope Leo XIV has indicated that artificial intelligence and technology will be central to his papacy. In his first address to the college of cardinals, he noted that his choice of papal name was a reference to Leo XIII, who defended human dignity and workers’ rights. He stated that his own teaching would be a response to the developments of AI and another industrial revolution.

Sarah El Haïry compared the potential impact of the upcoming document to Leo XIII’s 1891 encyclical on the rights of workers, which helped define Catholic social teaching during the Industrial Revolution.

“The pope’s encyclical could have a rather enormous impact, in the same way that Leo XIII’s encyclical helped to establish a comprehensive vision for how to orchestrate the industrial revolution,” El Haïry told POLITICO. “Several countries have, in their own way, drawn inspiration from this doctrine.”

The final text of the encyclical is expected to reflect the various contributions from businesses, experts, and cardinals who have submitted input over several months.