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Pope Leo XIV Laments Human Dignity Overlooked Amid AI Advances
Confirmed
In Short: Pope Leo XIV addressed representatives of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) on the first day of his visit to France, Sept. 8, 2023, at UNESCO's headquarters in Paris.
Pope Leo XIV addressed representatives of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) on the first day of his visit to France, Sept. 8, 2023, at UNESCO's headquarters in Paris.
In his speech, delivered in French and English, Pope Leo highlighted the paradox of celebrating artificial intelligence while human dignity is being discarded. He noted that while computational systems are attributed with intelligence, human lives are judged by efficiency, and those deemed unproductive are rejected.
Pope Leo also emphasized the urgent need to explore what it means to be human, a question that challenges every culture, form of knowledge, art, and religion. He warned that those in need suffer the gravest consequences when their humanity is betrayed or cast aside.
Pope Leo’s visit to UNESCO was the first by a pontiff in 46 years. He was welcomed by UNESCO’s director-general Khaled El-Enany and Msgr. Farber, who called the visit a “truly historic moment.”
After his speech, Pope Leo and El-Enany were handed green watering cans and watered an olive tree before heading to the main hall, where the pontiff was greeted with cheers and a standing ovation.
What's confirmed
- Pope Leo XIV addressed representatives of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) on the first day of his visit to France, Sept. 8, 2023, at UNESCO's headquarters in Paris.
- In his speech, delivered in French and English, Pope Leo highlighted the paradox of celebrating artificial intelligence while human dignity is being discarded. He noted that while computational systems are attributed with intelligence, human lives are judged by efficiency, and those deemed unproductive are rejected.
- Pope Leo also emphasized the urgent need to explore what it means to be human, a question that challenges every culture, form of knowledge, art, and religion. He warned that those in need suffer the gravest consequences when their humanity is betrayed or cast aside.
- After his speech, Pope Leo and El-Enany were handed green watering cans and watered an olive tree before heading to the main hall, where the pontiff was greeted with cheers and a standing ovation.
What's still developing
- Pope Leo began his speech, delivered in French and English, by thanking El-Enany for inviting him to address the gathering, which also included educators, cultural leaders, and youth representatives who also participated in a forum earlier in the day.
- “In this assembly, then, a fundamental question deserves to be explored, one that urgently calls for a response: What does it mean to be human. Every culture is challenged by this question, which lies at the heart of every form of knowledge, every art and every religion,” he said.
- “It is precisely those in need who suffer the gravest consequences of this forgetfulness, whenever their humanity is betrayed or cast aside, exploited or deceived. Forgetting the circumstances of our birth obscures the very idea of human life, because it detaches life from the history common to us all,” the pope said.
- “Freedom is indeed beautiful when it is oriented toward goodness and truth; it is disfigured when it descends into arbitrariness, violence or the thirst for power,” the pope said.
- After lunch at the apostolic nunciature in Paris, Pope Leo made his way to UNESCO’s headquarters, established in 1945 to promote peace through international cooperation in science, culture, education and communication.
- Although the Vatican is not a voting member, it has held permanent observer status since 1952 and will commemorate the 75th anniversary of its Permanent Observer Mission at UNESCO in 2027.
- “Grateful for the welcome I have received,” the pope wrote, “it is my hope that, with God’s help, UNESCO will continue its valuable promotion of international cooperation in the fields of education, science and culture.” The pope was greeted by several UNESCO representatives and had a brief private meeting with El-Enany before being escorted to the headquarters’ Square of Tolerance.
- Farber said that Weinstein, 74, had objectified, “played with and discarded” women while serving as a kingmaker in the entertainment industry.