To Dwell in Possibility

In May 2026, Pope Leo XIV released his first encyclical, Magnifica Humanitas. The text has generally been described as a Vatican directive on Artificial Intelligence, but it addresses deeper questions about the threats posed to human dignity in an algorithmic age. To explore its true philosophical and geopolitical stakes, we spoke with Father Antonio Spadaro, a distinguished theologian and papal advisor who is known for his public writings – he has coauthored a book about cinema with Martin Scorsese. We discussed the Pope’s intellectual formation, his philosophical challenge to Silicon Valley transhumanism and his head-on confrontation with President Donald Trump.