Pope Leo on AI, World Hunger, and the 4th of July

Pope Leo XIV has recently made statements on artificial intelligence, world hunger, and the 4th of July.  In each case, he stressed respect for human dignity, grounded in God’s love for all people, as the basis for moral and political decisions. In each case, there is clearly tension between what is happening now and human dignity.  

In late May, he released his first encyclical, Magnifica Humanitas (Magnificent Humanity): On Safeguarding the Human Person in the Time of Artificial Intelligence.

He discussed the downsides in how AI is being developed. But he argued that technology is not inherently good or bad. “It takes on the characteristics of those who devise, finance, regulate, and use it,” he wrote. He noted that today’s AI is being developed by “certain highly powerful interests.” We live in a “world where data, computational resources and regulatory influence is in the hands of a few.” Without being explicit, he was clearly referring to tech billionaires, with support from the politicians they have rallied around. 

Pope Leo says that AI has been infected by what he calls the “culture of power.” Among the specific issues the encyclical discusses, Leo included the crisis of multilateralism in international relations. International cooperation has given way to “a disorderly and conflict-ridden multipolarism.”  

Magnifica Humanitas begins with two biblical stories.  First, the Tower of Babel, a symbol of elitist, destructive power.  Babel is contrasted with the biblical story of returned exiles working together to rebuild Jerusalem’s walls. It concludes with reflections on the intrinsic dignity of human beings. God has chosen to dwell in us finite and fragile human beings. God’s love is what makes us magnificent.

Leo urges us to replace the currently dominant “culture of power” with a “culture of love.” A culture of love for all people is the basis for a humane development of artificial intelligence. 

Shortly after the release of Magnifica Humanitas, the Pope visited the World Food Program and delivered an address on world hunger. He spoke against a backdrop of rapid increases in extreme hunger, mostly in places like Gaza and Sudan that are afflicted by violent conflict.     

Leo’s address urged focus on the underlying reasons for growing hunger, principally the crisis of multilateralism. He calls for international cooperation — “so that all may receive their daily bread and live in dignity.”

On July 3, Pope Leo accepted an award from the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia, honoring his commitment to human dignity and freedom of conscience and expression. He spoke via livestream to a diverse convocation in Philadelphia and, beyond them, to the American people. 

He grounded his address in the Declaration of Independence and its affirmation of universal human rights. The language is shaped by the Enlightenment, but rooted in the Christian message of human dignity. His comments about the right to life called us to respect “the vulnerable and those whose worth is questioned,” specifically including immigrants. 

He also affirmed the first amendment to the U.S. Constitution regarding freedom of religion and conviction. He called for interfaith cooperation on community issues.

Pope Leo’s final words were, “God bless America.”

I would add, “Thank God for Pope Leo.”

Bread for the World’s Day of Action: Next Wednesday, June 10

This is a busy month for Congress, including decisions on a number of issues that are important to people struggling with poverty.  From the July 4 holiday to the November elections,  most members of Congress will be focused on campaigning, so they are under pressure to finalize legislation this month.

Please consider participating in Bread for the World’s Day of Action, June 10.  Hundreds of Bread for the World members (including me) will be in Washington for Bread’s Advocacy Summit, including June 10 lobby visits on hunger issues. Bread is inviting people across the country to contact their members of Congress on the same day and same issues.  More than 800 people have already signed up for long-distance advocacy.

Bread for the World has prepared a menu of issues on which we could win change:   funding for SNAP and WIC, instructions to the Administration to maintain current statistics on US food security, and international assistance focused on hunger and health.  As participants in the Advocacy Summit visit different members of Congress, they will focus on those issues on which their members of Congress are best positioned to have influence. Collectively, these in-person visits and Day of Action communications will let Congress know that we want them to make hunger a priority.

If you are willing to contribute to this impressive effort, sign up for the Day of Action.   On June 10, you will receive an email action alert.  You will be asked to communicate with one or all of your members of Congress on the issue where we have the best chance of winning big change.  Sign up here.

Learn the Issues

To learn more about this year’s Day of Action and the issues advocates will be discussing with Congress, watch this preparation seminar from Bread for the World organizers. The session offers practical guidance on effective advocacy and provides an overview of the domestic and global hunger issues that will be the focus of the Advocacy Summit and coordinated outreach efforts taking place across the country.

Publication Day

I’ve had May 28 marked on my calendar for months. Today my publisher, Bloomsbury, has released my book, Poverty Abolitionists. This blog post tells the story of how this book came about and what I hope it will achieve. 

When I retired from Bread for the World in 2020, I worked hard to stay engaged in advocacy—helping Bread with fundraising and leading the Circle of Protection. The Circle coalition played an important role in passing Biden’s first-year legislation, which succeeded in reducing child poverty in the midst of the pandemic.

I also taught graduate students—at Berkeley, then New York, then Virginia Theological Seminary (VTS). Teaching about the politics of poverty helped me learn more about anti-poverty strategies other than legislative advocacy—such as community organizing and electoral politics. I invited leaders of different types of anti-poverty organizations to speak to my classes. 

Starting toward the end of 2023, I carved out time to work on a book. Several VTS seminarians helped me with research. Most of my previous books had been handled by religious publishers.  This time I aimed for a commercial publisher to reach a broader audience. I learned about the key role of literary agents in commercial publishing. They work with aspiring authors and pick a few to recommend to publishers. Two agents considered my book proposal and turned it down. But in the process, they helped me improve it. They pushed me to analyze my proposal from a marketing and sales perspective. Thinking about my book from the perspective of people who might buy and read it made it better.

Toward the end of 2024, an agent named Don Pape agreed to represent my book. He sent my book proposal to about 20 publishers all at once. Two accepted it, including the U.S. branch of Bloomsbury Publishing.  Bloomsbury is an international, commercially successful publisher. My acquiring editor was Richard Brown. He made several very helpful suggestions that improved the book substantially.  One was to strengthen its appeal to younger readers. I also want to mention Robin Stephenson, who has helped me with research, editing, and social media, including this newsletter.   

I was able to make revisions until nearly the end of the first year of the current Trump administration. President Trump and MAGA came to power with well-developed plans. With alarming speed, he and his colleagues attacked an array of programs and policies that are important to people in poverty. They dismantled USAID, cut $1.2 trillion from domestic food and health assistance, launched a brutal program of mass deportation, worked against civil rights and voting rights, and imposed a new and shifting regime of tariffs. Trump strained the legal limits of presidential authority, with a Republican Congress and conservative Supreme Court often condoning his actions.

In February 2026, the US and Israel attacked Iran.  War in the Middle East has killed more than 7,000 people.  It has also caused a massive increase of extreme hunger.

After decades of progress against poverty, MAGA is now increasing hunger and poverty in our country and around the world. Pushing back against MAGA, including the election of more Democrats, is crucial to renewed progress against poverty.  

Since finishing the manuscript, I’ve been focused on encouraging pre-publication orders and promoting key messages from the book among a wider audience.  Bread for the World, the Alliance to End Hunger, Virginia Theological Seminary, the World Food Prize Foundation, Interfaith 20, and Fortier Public Relations are all helping with this work.  I’ve also been supported by Rick Steves, Eleanor Crook, Chang Park, Fred and Jeanne Groos, Terry Meehan, Maureen O’Leary, and other friends.  I’m planning to continue speaking and writing on these issues over the coming year.

I pray that Poverty Abolitionists encourages and empowers a surge of activism, and that God delivers our country and the world from the evils that confront us now.