Story summary
Pope Leo XIV Warns of AI Threat During France Visit
On September 25, 2026, Pope Leo XIV warned during his visit to Paris that artificial intelligence (AI), which he referred to as a "paradise of machines," could undermine humanity by posing fundamental questions about what it means to be human. The pontiff raised these concerns in an opening speech to President Emmanuel Macron and diplomats at the Élysée Palace, followed by remarks to United Nations employees at UNESCO headquarters.
Pope Leo emphasized the need for ethical discernment as AI rapidly evolves: "If we are to avoid losing our humanity amid a paradise of machines invading and conditioning our daily lives, there is an urgent need for education in ethical discernment." The speech highlighted growing fears within religious circles about the unchecked advancement of technology and its potential impact on human values.
The pope also reaffirmed the Vatican's stance against nuclear weapons, calling the deterrence doctrine "mistaken" as it fuels new arms races. He stressed that peace must be built through dialogue and justice rather than power balances.
Pope Leo's visit comes amid debates over assisted dying and other ethical issues in France, where secularism is strictly enforced according to constitutional principles. Despite this, more than a million people are expected to turn out during his four-day stay, underscoring the significance of his message and presence.
Church bells tolled across Paris as Pope Leo's charter flight landed at Orly Airport, marking the start of what promises to be an impactful visit addressing critical global issues.
Written for “Pope Warns AI Threat” on 2026-10-05,
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Pope Leo shares troubling warning about AI creating ‘paradise of machines’
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AI → share → machines
Pope Leo XIV warned Friday that a “paradise of machines” risked undermining humanity as he opened a trip to France by posing fundamental questions about what it means to be human in the age of artificial intelligence, a nuclear arms race and other threats to life itself.
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it → warn → life
Leo raised existential concerns about scientific progress, life and human rights during his opening speech to President Emmanuel Macron and authorities at the Élysée Palace and then to diplomats and United Nations employees at the headquarters of UNESCO, the U.N. culture and education organization.
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Leo → raise → UNESCO
With wars plaguing Europe and the Middle East, he reaffirmed the Vatican’s opposition to nuclear weapons and said the nuclear deterrence doctrine was “mistaken” since it was just fueling a new arms race.
“Peace is not a balance of power; rather, it is built day by day through dialogue and justice,” he said.
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he → plague → dialogue
Leo has an intense four days in France, where the Catholic Church has lost ground in influencing ethical issues given the strict approach to secularism that is enshrined in the French Constitution.
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that → have → Constitution
Yet thousands of people lined his motorcade route, waving French and Holy See flags, with some braving hours of the unseasonable heat to catch a glimpse of him.
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some → line → him
The turnout underscored the surprising level of interest in Leo’s visit, the first official state visit by a pope in 18 years.
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turnout → underscore → years
Macron said Leo’s visit brings “a source of hope” to many French people.
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visit → say → people
A capstone visit as Macron’s term ends
For Macron, who is barred from seeking a third term in May elections, hosting the American pope is something of a capstone.
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hosting → end → capstone
Pope Francis had refused repeatedly to make a proper state visit to France during his 12-year pontificate and pointedly refused to join the inauguration of the rebuilt Notre Dame cathedral in 2024.
“For a president of the republic as Macron, who is at the end of his mandate, it can be important to be aside the pope and to capture a part of his popularity,” said Charles Mercier, director of history and sociology of Catholicism studies at Paris EPHE university.
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Mercier → refuse → university
With seven months left in his term, Macron’s approval ratings are near record lows, driven by anger over the rising cost of living and criticism of France’s growing debt and deficit and deteriorating public services.
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ratings → leave → debt
Smiling broadly as Leo spoke French, Macron thanked the pope for visiting, saying: “You are here with us for an extended visit, giving us your time, and that is moving.”
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that → smile → time
The Rev. Aristide Ahidote, from Ivory Coast, was among those who planned to attend the pope’s vespers service in Notre Dame later Friday.
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who → plan → Dame
“God has given us a pope with vigor and strength,” he said.
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he → give → vigor
Leo calls for the French to mull lofty questions about life
Unlike Francis, who liked to travel to small Catholic communities far from Rome, Leo has been keen to emphasize and reawaken Europe’s Christian roots.
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Leo → call → roots
He is seeking to push the church’s message about the value and dignity of human life in a country where the right to abortion was enshrined in the constitution in 2024, and where lawmakers recently gave final approval to a bill allowing adults with incurable illnesses to receive lethal medication.
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adults → seek → medication
The French Catholic hierarchy strongly opposed the measures, in keeping with Catholic teaching that human life must be protected and defended from conception until natural death.
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life → oppose → death
In his speech to Macron and other government and diplomatic authorities, Leo reminded France of its “deep Christian roots” and called for the French to remember that the right to life is the “indispensable foundation of every other human right.”
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right → remind → right
His concern about the dignity of human life and humanity as a whole extended to the threats posed by artificial intelligence.
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concern → extend → intelligence
“The paradox has become increasingly evident: while ‘intelligence’ is attributed to computational systems, we struggle to recognize the inalienable dignity of human persons, whose lives are judged according to the criterion of efficiency and, when deemed no longer productive, are rejected and discarded,” he said.
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he → become → efficiency
From the very start of his pontificate, Leo has identified AI as one of the greatest challenges facing humanity.
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Leo → identify → humanity
He dedicated his first encyclical to the topic, “Magnificent Humanity,” calling for robust regulation and for AI developers to work for the common good rather than profit.
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developers → dedicate → good
Leo also appealed to AI developers and political leaders responsible for regulating them to slow down, an appeal that several top AI companies seem to have taken to heart in recently.
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companies → appeal → heart
“If we are to avoid losing our humanity amid a ‘paradise of machines’ invading and conditioning our daily lives, there is an urgent need for education in ethical discernment and the capacity to acknowledge the moral good,” he said.
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he → avoid → good
Leo earlier told reporters that he was pleased his message was being heard and said he hoped the dialogue that the Vatican initiated with tech companies would continue.
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Vatican → tell → companies
“And I think from their perspective, many of them, they’re very much open to looking for ways of making sure that AI does not displace or ultimately destroy humanity, but rather than be a tool for human beings,” he said.
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he → think → beings
A visit to Notre Dame that Francis declined
Later Friday, Leo presided over evening prayers in Paris’ soaring Notre Dame cathedral, the first pope to celebrate there since the devastating 2019 fire that consumed the cathedral’s roof and toppled its spire.
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that → decline → spire
After being mobbed by a crowd of eager nuns outside, Leo walked down the central aisle to the combined thundering of the organ above and cheers from the pews below.
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Leo → mob → pews
As bells tolled, he knelt in silent prayer in the same spot where, in 2019, flames brought down scorched roof beams.
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flames → toll → beams
Leo marveled at the brilliance of the stained-glass windows and restored cream columns and praised the artisans who repaired them.
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who → marvel → them
He urged the priests and nuns gathered in the pews to be inspired by the combined effort to bring the Gothic masterpiece back to life.
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He → urge → life
Francis had refused to visit France on a proper state visit, and explicitly refused Macron’s invitation to come for the 2024 reopening of the cathedral that drew dozens of world leaders.
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that → refuse → leaders
He did make three short trips to French cities, however, including Strasbourg in 2014 and Marseille and Corsica in 2024, a one-day visit that became his last foreign trip.
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that → make → visit
The Aporia
