Story perspectives

Pope Leo XIV Apologizes, Issues AI Ethics Encyclical

5/25/2026

Summary

Story summary

Pope Leo XIV apologized for the Vatican’s role in legitimizing slavery while presenting his AI-ethics encyclical on May 25 2026.
The encyclical links historic papal support for slavery, citing 15th-century bulls such as Dum Diversas, to AI-driven labor abuses.
Scholars Anthea Butler and Rev. Christopher J. Kellerman praised the apology while urging broader acknowledgment, noting that the Vatican, which repudiated the Doctrine of Discovery in 2023, has not rescinded the original bulls.

1 of 1

Story summary

Pope Leo XIV apologized for the Vatican’s role in legitimizing slavery while presenting his AI-ethics encyclical on May 25 2026.
The encyclical links historic papal support for slavery, citing 15th-century bulls such as Dum Diversas, to AI-driven labor abuses.
Scholars Anthea Butler and Rev. Christopher J. Kellerman praised the apology while urging broader acknowledgment, noting that the Vatican, which repudiated the Doctrine of Discovery in 2023, has not rescinded the original bulls.