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The most important political text of the 21st century comes not from politicians but from Pope Leo XIV
by Milena Harito
I am an atheist, but today I can do nothing but thank Pope Leo XIV, who with his first encyclical, wrote the most reasonable and meaningful political text I have read in the 21st century.
Magnifica Humanitas addresses the essential transformation that Artificial Intelligence is bringing daily; economic, social, geopolitical transformation, changes in the balance of power within states and across continents.
But even more than that. AI has the potential to change the essence of being Human. This is precisely what Pope Leo XIV reminds us of, highlighting, with or without intention, the mediocrity of most of the current political debates.
Magnifica Humanitas invites us to human and political reflection. In a world where Artificial Intelligence is shaping our future, how should we act so that technology serves humanity and does not give even more power to a handful of billionaires ? Because we should never forget that humanity is not a resource to be exploited, but a miracle to be preserved.
The historical achievements of European social democracy
During the 20th century, European social democracy was the locomotive of building a social model based on justice, solidarity and human dignity. This model has at its center precisely the interests of Man, whoever he is, favored or not, capable or not: universal social security systems guaranteeing every citizen access to healthcare; access to free and quality education for all; minimum assistance for protection from extreme poverty; reduction of working hours to 40 hours per week and paid holidays; protective laws on working conditions, etc. This social model reduced inequalities and strengthened the cohesion of European societies after World War II.
In the 1980s, under the influence of figures such as Margaret Thatcher and Ronald Reagan, and even more so after the collapse of the communist bloc in Eastern Europe, the ideology of liberal economics gradually dominated the political and economic landscape in Europe and elsewhere. Financial markets were liberalized, and key sectors such as energy, transport and telecommunications were privatized in order to stimulate competition and economic growth. Some of these reforms were beneficial to most people, some were not, but this much-debated topic deserves a separate article.
However, it is worth remembering that despite the dominance of liberal ideology for almost half a century, democratic and social states have always been the guarantors of the interests of the majority in cases of severe crises.
Two examples from recent decades are the 2008 financial crisis and the Covid-19 pandemic. Extreme financial liberalization allowed banks and financial institutions to take excessive risks until the systemic crisis of 2008. European states had to intervene massively with public funds to save these institutions. The losses were borne by states and taxpayers, the profits remained private.
Also, during the COVID-19 pandemic, European governments spent billions to support businesses and families. The crisis reinforced the idea that, in the face of great risks, collective solidarity must prevail.
In Europe, the main achievements of social democracy are not directly questioned, but they remain subject to the constant pressure of the “invisible hand of the market”, which is still supposed to perform all the miracles. Despite the crises and the lessons learned from them.
Will the Pope save the 21st century social democracy?
In the context of the dominance of liberal ideology after 1980, European social democracy is not devoted to its essential cause: the preservation of the dignity of every human being, whoever they may be. It has even sometimes lost focus, concentrating on causes that are certainly important, but not central to most European citizens.
Pope Leo XIV woke us up by pointing out the major issue that we all have before our eyes: Today, human dignity is massively threatened by the way Artificial Intelligence will be used. Automation and Artificial Intelligence will transform the labor market, eliminating millions of jobs. Several techno-fanatic ideologues, some even owners of complex and expensive AI infrastructures, believe that humans will soon be redundant: their physical and intellectual work will become unnecessary.
« Magnifica Humanitas « sets the framework : “Man is above all, technology must be at his service” and reminds us of some simple principles that must necessarily be at the center of both political decision-making and our individual actions.
Social justice
The encyclical reminds us that Man is not simply a product and therefore does not necessarily need to be useful to live with dignity. AI, no matter how sophisticated, possesses neither moral conscience, nor empathy, nor emotional capacity. The true greatness of humanity lies in its ability to love, to show compassion and to respect the dignity of every person.
Social democracy, heir to this vision, must rediscover itself and fight politically as a guarantor that technological innovation does not worsen inequalities, but rather becomes a lever of emancipation for all, guaranteeing security for workers in transition while simultaneously protecting the weakest.
Social justice, in this new era, must guarantee every individual the most equal opportunities possible, protecting the weakest and rejecting the logic of concentrating power through technology.
Technical power is not a legitimate right to govern.
Control of platforms, infrastructure, data and computing power is currently concentrated in the hands of a few economic and technological players. Leo XIV stressed the need to “disarm AI” by breaking away from this equivalence between technical power and the right to govern, promoting democratic, transparent and accountable governance. The concentration of power must be fought to preserve the sovereignty of people and to prevent new forms of exclusion or manipulation.
Will “Magnifica Humanitas” be enough to put humanity back at the heart of the Artificial Intelligence revolution?
Social democracy for the 21st century must be the promise of a European continent where technology serves justice, where human dignity remains at the heart of all our decisions, and where solidarity is not weakness but strength.
The responsibility to preserve “our magnificent humanity” belongs to each of us: governments, businesses, and citizens, to build a civilization where technology does not rule over humanity but is simply a tool at the service of people.
Pope Leo XIV put the ball back in the center. The political battlefield in the coming years will be about AI and will be shaped by AI. And it will not be easy. Let’s hope that “Magnifica Humanitas” contributes to the right direction.
Now let everyone take their own responsibility in the places where we are still lucky enough to vote, as Humans, without yet delegating the vote to some “AI Agent” who will “know” everything better than us.
