Cardinal Cupich: Pope's encyclical 'a new lens' for Church's Social Doctrine

“This document provides us with a new lens to read the entire Social Doctrine of the Church.”

In an interview with Vatican News, Cardinal Blase Cupich, Archbishop of Chicago, reflected on Pope Leo XIV’s first encyclical, Magnifica humanitas, on safeguarding the human person in the age of artificial intelligence.

The Cardinal discussed the Pope’s warning against technological self-sufficiency, the social implications of artificial intelligence, and the relevance of Catholic social teaching in the digital age.

The document’s principal contribution comes in the Holy Father’s challenge to humanity to make a choice: either to build the new Jerusalem or another Tower of Babel.

The first image is anchored in the story of the prophet Nehemiah, who brings families together after the exile. As the Pope writes, Nehemiah “assigned each of them a section of the wall to rebuild, listened to their concerns, coordinated their efforts and addressed any opposition.” This city comes to birth not through the initiative of one powerful individual, but through “the shared responsibility of all: men, women, priests, artisans, heads of households and young people all play a part. It is an undertaking with God at the center, which rebuilds relationships before rebuilding with stones.”

This is a harmony that arises when people assume their proper role and recognize that their strength comes from the Lord.

The Tower of Babel, on the other hand, represents a city aspiring to reach heaven without God’s blessing. Built on pride and claims of self-sufficiency, communication breaks down, and people no longer understand one another.