Pope Leo XIV is expected to sign his first encyclical on May 15, according to a German publication citing Vatican sources, in a symbolic move timed to the 135th anniversary of a landmark papal document on social justice.
According to the German Catholic News Agency KNA and its “various Vatican sources,” the document carries the provisional working title Magnifica humanitas, or “Magnificent Humanity,” and will address contemporary challenges, including the ethical implications of artificial intelligence (AI), questions of peace, and perceived crises in the international order and global law.
The May 15 date would coincide with the publication of Pope Leo XIII’s 1891 encyclical Rerum Novarum, which laid the foundations of modern Catholic social teaching amid the Industrial Revolution. Pope Leo XIV, who chose his papal name in part as a nod to that legacy, has repeatedly signaled that defending human dignity amid rapid technological change — particularly AI’s impact on work and society — will be a priority of his pontificate.
The document is expected to expand on a Vatican effort launched earlier this year examining the ethical and anthropological implications of AI, as Pope Leo has repeatedly warned about unchecked technological development and the need to safeguard human dignity against advances that could blur the line between the human and the artificial.
No official confirmation has yet been issued by the Vatican Press Office. Publication of papal encyclicals typically follows signing by a short period, often accompanied by a formal presentation.
The report by KNA aligns with earlier speculation that the Holy Father’s first major teaching document would focus on social issues in the AI era.