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The future of science according to Pope Leo XIV
Confirmed
In Short: During a Sept. 24 address to the Pontifical Academy of Sciences, Pope Leo XIV urged scientists and policymakers to work together to address climate change, moving from emergency response to prevention.
Pope Leo XIV also emphasized the importance of reflecting on the human person, society, and the future we wish to build through technology.
The Pope warned that the risks posed by artificial intelligence and climate change are particularly severe for the poor and communities with few resources.
Pope Leo XIV’s address came ahead of his four-day Apostolic Journey to France, where he will meet with French President Emmanuel Macron and address issues including artificial intelligence at UNESCO headquarters.
The Pope’s visit to France is expected to attract more than 1 million people and cost the Catholic Church 27 million euros.
Pope Leo XIV will also visit Uruguay, Argentina, and Peru from Nov. 6–17, marking the first papal visit to Uruguay since St. John Paul II.
What this adds
The Pope’s call for responsible technological use and proactive climate change measures reflects a broader shift in the Catholic Church’s stance on these issues.
What's confirmed
- Pope Leo XIV also emphasized the importance of reflecting on the human person, society, and the future we wish to build through technology.
- The Pope warned that the risks posed by artificial intelligence and climate change are particularly severe for the poor and communities with few resources.
- Pope Leo XIV’s address came ahead of his four-day Apostolic Journey to France, where he will meet with French President Emmanuel Macron and address issues including artificial intelligence at UNESCO headquarters.
- The Pope’s visit to France is expected to attract more than 1 million people and cost the Catholic Church 27 million euros.
- Pope Leo XIV will also visit Uruguay, Argentina, and Peru from Nov. 6–17, marking the first papal visit to Uruguay since St. John Paul II.
What's still developing
- Pope Leo XIV called for a shift in how the world confronts climate change during a Sept. 24 address to the Pontifical Academy of Sciences.
- The pope called for scientists, engineers, economists, physicians, and social scientists to work alongside local communities and policymakers.
- “We need to move from emergency response to prevention, from vulnerability to preparedness, and from short-term measures to a wise and farsighted vision for humanity.” Speaking at the academy’s plenary session on “The Future of Science in a Changing World,” Leo pointed to increasingly frequent and intense heat waves, droughts, floods, storms, and wildfires.
- “Every technology reflects, whether explicitly or implicitly, a particular understanding of the human person, of society and of the future we wish to build,” Pope Leo XIV told members of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences on Thursday, September 24.
- “Technological progress is never simply a technical matter,” the Pope said.
- Pope Leo XIV receives the Pontifical Academy of Sciences, urging its scientists to anticipate the major risks of artificial intelligence and climate change.
- Receiving the world-class scientists at the Vatican, he encouraged them to reflect on the future of science.
- Pope Leo XIV observed that the theme chosen for their meeting, “The Future of Science in a Changing World,” is truly “timely.” He connected this to his recent encyclical Magnifica humanitas, which explores the impact of artificial intelligence, the growing use of robotics, and rapid digitalization on humanity.
- Pope Leo XIV, a mathematician by training, pointed out that these scientific advances can play a positive role in health, energy, agriculture, and knowledge of the material world by “opening new possibilities for human creativity and cooperation.” However, he also warned about the risks this technology poses to nature and global peace.
- “Every technology reflects, whether explicitly or implicitly, a particular understanding of the human person, of society and of the future we wish to build.” He called for scientific and technological advances to be accompanied by “a corresponding growth in responsibility.” The Holy Father insisted on the urgency of this responsible approach when dealing with climate change.
- Leo XIV also noted that “these shocks fall most heavily upon the poor” and “communities with the fewest resources.” “We cannot respond to these challenges only after disaster has already struck,” Pope Leo XIV emphasized.
- Pope Leo XIV will begin a four-day Apostolic Journey to France on Friday, September 25, with a packed program that will take him to Paris, Saint-Denis, Lourdes and Metz.