Pope Leo XIV Urges Catholic Legislators to Protect Families from AI Risks

VATICAN CITY — Pope Leo XIV has urged Catholic legislators to promote policies that ensure artificial intelligence (AI) serves humanity while protecting families, children and human dignity.

The Pope made the call on Friday, August 21, 2026, during an audience with participants in the 17th annual meeting of the International Catholic Legislators Network (ICLN), being held in Rome from August 20–23.

Addressing the legislators, Pope Leo stressed the importance of developing public policies that respond to the rapid growth of AI while ensuring that technological progress does not undermine the foundations of family and social life.

He urged lawmakers to support measures that strengthen marriage and families, protect parents in their responsibilities and give young people greater confidence in the future.

The Pope’s intervention comes amid growing global debate over how governments should regulate increasingly powerful AI systems and address their impact on education, employment, privacy, relationships and human decision-making.

Pope Leo has previously placed human dignity at the centre of his approach to artificial intelligence. In his May 2026 encyclical Magnifica Humanitas, he addressed the need to safeguard the human person in an era increasingly shaped by AI.

The Pope’s latest remarks therefore reinforce his call for policymakers to ensure that technological innovation remains guided by ethical considerations and contributes to the common good.

The International Catholic Legislators Network meeting brings together Catholic parliamentarians and policymakers to discuss political, social and ethical challenges facing societies and the role of Christian values in public life.