From AI to war, Pope wields the Vatican’s soft power amid growing distrust of political leaders
A graduate in both mathematics and church law, Pope Leo is seeking to avert what he fears could be a robotic future that weakens what it means to be human.
When Trump fumed at the pontiff for opposing the war on Iran and declared him to be “weak on crime”, the response was firm. “I have no fear, neither of the Trump administration, nor of speaking out loudly about the message of the Gospel. And that’s what I believe I am called here to do,” Pope Leo said in April.
When US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth suggested that God was on America’s side in the war in the Middle East, the Pope warned in April against using Jesus to justify conflict, although he did not name anyone in the US administration.
Only two weeks ago, the same contrast was apparent when journalists on board the papal plane to France asked Pope Leo about Trump’s decision to ban CNN and other reporters from the White House. The Pope declared he was “very happy” with journalists covering his work. “You are all welcome,” he added.
While Trump dismissed the recent warnings from tech company whistleblowers about the risk that AI could destroy humanity, the Pope offered a totally different view. “If someone were to ask me, am I in panic mode? No, I am not,” he told reporters on September 28. “I sleep at night. I do think that the concerns raised by many of the experts, specialists in AI, should be taken seriously. I do not think that is fake news, as some have said, to try and cause financial or some other kind of benefit.”
