FROM THE DESK OF THE PASTOR
JUNE 18, 2026
POPE LEO’S NEW ENCYCLICAL MAGNIFICA HUMANITAS: on safeguarding the human person in the time of artificial intelligence
A few weeks ago, Pope Leo issued an encyclical letter on AI, a technological break-through that has quickly begun to affect our lives and our society. Perhaps in no other place other than Redmond has this technology had such quick and profound impact, with so many of our people working in the tech industry. And so, Pope Leo’s reflections are all the more relevant to us. In the time of the industrial revolution, Pope Leo XIII addressed a similar upheaval in society, the industrial revolution with his encyclical Rerum Novarum which brought the light of the Gospel to the profound social change of the that era. Today, Pope Leo seeks to help us see how the teachings of faith can help us navigate the impact of Artificial intelligence in our own day. Here is a brief passage from the encyclical. You can read the full letter at this link on the Vatican website: https://www.vatican.va/content/leo-xiv/en/encyclicals/documents/20260515-magnifica-humanitas.html) It is well worth our reflection!
7. In order to answer these questions and discern how to navigate responsibly the era of AI, I would like to bring to mind two scenes from the Bible: the construction of the Tower of Babel (cf. Gen 11:1-9) and the rebuilding of the walls of Jerusalem (cf. Neh 2–6). The story of Babel appears in the Book of Genesis, at the origins of humanity, immediately after the genealogies of Noah’s sons. After settling in a plain in the land of Shinar, the people decided to build a city and a tower “with its top in the heavens” (Gen 11:4). Fearing being scattered across the earth, they sought to guarantee stability and power for themselves, and above all to “make a name” for themselves. It was an impressive feat: a single language, a single technology, a single direction. However, the project concealed a profound danger. It was a project conceived without reference to God, supported by a uniformity that eliminated diversity and that chose homogenization over communion. When a city is built on pride and the claim to self-sufficiency, communication breaks down, languages are confused and people no longer understand each other. The result is not unity, but dispersion. Babel thus reveals the limits of any effort that, however grandiose, arises from self-affirmation, sacrifices human dignity for efficiency and aspires to reach heaven without God’s blessing.
8. The Book of Nehemiah, in turn, opens at a time of great vulnerability in the history of ancient Israel. After the Babylonian exile, a portion of the people returned to Jerusalem, but the city was still in ruins, the walls collapsed and the gates burned (cf. Neh 1–2). Nehemiah, a Jew in the service of the Persian King Artaxerxes, received news of the disastrous state of his ancestral city. Before taking action, he fasted, prayed and interceded for the people. He then asked the king for permission to return to Jerusalem and, upon arriving, examined the destroyed areas in silence. He did not impose solutions from above. He convened the families, assigned each of them a section of the wall to rebuild, listened to their concerns, coordinated their efforts and addressed any opposition. The narrative shows how the city is reborn, not through the initiative of one man, but through the shared responsibility of all: men, women, priests, artisans, heads of households and young people all play a part. It is an undertaking with God at the center, which rebuilds relationships before rebuilding with stones. Thus, ancient Jerusalem rediscovers a common language — not one of uniformity, but one of communion, namely the harmony that arises when all persons assume their own role and recognize that their strength comes from the Lord.
9. In light of these two images, the Holy Spirit challenges us today regarding our relationship with technology and the ongoing digital revolution. Scientific discoveries are talents entrusted to humanity so that they may bear fruit (cf. Mt 25:14-30). Technology has the power to heal, connect, educate and protect our common home; but it can also divide, exclude and generate new forms of injustice. In the abstract, technology in and of itself is not a solution to humanity’s problems, just as it is not inherently evil. In practice, however, technology is never neutral, because it takes on the characteristics of those who devise, finance, regulate and use it. Therefore, the primary choice is not between a “yes” or “no” to technology, but rather between constructing Babel or rebuilding Jerusalem; between a power that claims to dominate the heavens and a people who work together in the presence of God to rebuild the walls of fraternal coexistence.
FATHER WILLIAMS IS COMING JULY 6-24
Father Williams will be coming to fill in at St. Jude during my vacation in July. During that time he will need a car. If any of you have a reliable vehicle he could borrow for that time, please email Kristas@stjude-redmond.org. We would be very grateful. Many thanks!
PRIEST DAYS
Next week, the priests of the Archdiocese will gather for our annual meetings. It will be good to be able to gather, pray and reflect. I will be away until Friday. Fr. Raphael is staying behind to do emergency calls for the deanery. We will have a modified daily Mass Schedule next week. Please pray for us that our gathering will be fruitful, help us to grow together, and plan well for future ministry in the Archdiocese. Know that you will be in our prayers while we are way.
Blessings on your week!
Fr. Johnson
