Pope Leo XIV’s first encyclical, “Magnifica Humanitas,” has been widely characterized by the media as the Catholic Church’s landmark alarm bell about the perils of artificial intelligence. But it would be a mistake to reduce the encyclical to a warning about AI and its impact on humanity alone. More broadly, the pope frames the AI revolution as full of peril and some promise, with core questions at the center from the perspective of those on the peripheries of our society:

Decenas de personas se reunieron este sábado en el suroeste de Chicago para conmemorar el 60.º aniversario del Movimiento por la Libertad de Chicago, una movilización que recordó la histórica marcha encabezada por el Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. en defensa de los derechos civiles. Pese a la lluvia, los participantes caminaron hacia Marquette Park para rendir homenaje al movimiento de 1966 y destacar los retos que, aseguran, continúan enfrentando diversas comunidades.

The Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.'s daughter Bernice King joined Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and others in rallying against racism and commemorating the contentious event 60 years ago, when marchers were met with violence. Bernice King looked out into the crowd of rain ponchos and umbrellas Saturday morning, echoing the calls of her father, who stood in the same spot 60 years before.

In his first encyclical, “Magnifica Humanitas,” Pope Leo XIV warns against a “culture of power” where efficiency and domination replace human dignity and the common good. Although the document is primarily focused on artificial intelligence, its critique of concentrated power and its defense of truth against manipulation speak directly to larger themes of democratic life, especially those related to voting and elections.

A small delegation from the Vatican-supported World Meeting of Popular Movements has completed its visit to cities across the U.S., where members said they have been struck by the love and compassion people showed for others. The delegation was scheduled to leave the U.S. July 30, but “unforeseen circumstances” led them to reschedule the trip’s second half, the tour coordinator told OSV News July 17. While the delegation’s members hope to return in the fall or winter for a second visit, they described a rich experience that may inform new ministry initiatives.

SEATTLE — Father Mattia Ferrari from the Vatican flew into Seattle July 1 as part of a larger mission as coordinator for the World Meeting of Popular Movements and chaplain of Mediterranea Saving Humans. He came alongside Luca Casarini, founder of Mediterranea Saving Humans, and César Piscoya, a friend of Pope Leo XIV who served as the executive secretary of the social vicariate in the Diocese of Chiclayo at the request of then-Bishop Robert Prevost.

On the wide, sweeping plains of Hudson, Colorado, an intimate group of Catholics, faith leaders and human rights representatives gathered to pray the Rosary on July 10. Just outside the vacant Hudson Correctional Facility, the group interceded for those who will occupy the facility when it reopens as a 1,200-bed detention center for the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

A Matter of Spirit (AMOS) is the quarterly justice journal of the Intercommunity Peace & Justice Center with analysis, theological reflection and action on justice issues. Our Governing Council selects four topics for the year, which are then given to our Editorial Board to determine articles and writers.

When the news broke that Lorenzo Salgado Araujo had been shot and killed by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent as he drove his construction crew to work in Houston last week, a Vatican representative was meeting with immigrant families at a Houston Catholic parish. The families were sharing about the intense levels of fear their community has been experiencing.

The Vatican’s social teachings were on full display during a weekend event at St. Oscar Romero Miraculous Medal Church in Meadow Lands. The Rev. Mattia Ferrari, chaplain of the World Meeting of Popular Movements (WMPM), stopped in Washington on his month-long “An Economy That Kills” national tour to discuss the intersection of labor rights, environmental protection and Catholic doctrine.

Last night I watched the film Leo in Rome (Leone a Roma), a short documentary produced by the Vatican’s Dicastery for Communication that assembles archival images, interviews, and contemporary footage to tell the story of Robert Francis Prevost’s time in Rome prior to his becoming Pope Leo XIV. We hear from his classmates at the Angelicum, his alma mater, as well as former parishioners and members of the Augustinian Order of which he served as Prior General from 2001 to 2013.

HUDSON, Colo. — Faith leaders and a delegation with ties to the Vatican gathered Thursday at a proposed ICE detention facility in Hudson, praying the rosary and calling for human dignity to be centered in the debate over immigration enforcement, according to those present.

SEATTLE — Catholic leaders in western Washington say they feel a wave of energy in the church as hundreds of parishioners have continued to gather in public displays of faith and solidarity of migrants over the past eight months.

Fr. Mattia Ferrari and his companions from the World Meeting of Popular Movements and CELAM (Luca Casarini and Cesar Piscoya) are now in the US for their 40 day tour of encounters / encuentros with community organizing groups, Catholic bishops / clergy / religious, and lay leaders. 

Acompañar a una persona migrante cuando comparece ante el Servicio de Control de Inmigración y Aduanas (ICE) de Estados Unidos, organizar turnos para alertar de las redadas, repartir alimentos entre quienes viven escondidos o convertir una parroquia en el corazón de una comunidad. Frente a las políticas de deportación impulsadas por la Administración Trump, comunidades cristianas y movimientos populares de California están tejiendo redes de fraternidad para que nadie afronte solo el miedo, la detención o la expulsión.

In New Jersey on Saturday, Catholic activists gathered near the front gates of Delaney Hall to pray the rosary in solidarity with those detained in the Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention facility.

SANDERSON, Fla.  |  Immigrant advocates had prayerfully walked towards the grounds in front of Baker County Correctional Center before. But a June 13, 2026, procession was different. In celebration of the feast of Corpus Christi, a priest led the procession with the consecrated Eucharist housed in the monstrance. The literal Body of Christ served as the tangible presence among the walkers who prayed for the detainees — siblings in the spiritual Body of Christ.

WASHINGTON (OSV News) — The noonday sun shone over Columbia Heights in Northwest Washington as people moved between corner markets and families pushed strollers past Salvadoran pupuserías, Dominican and Mexican restaurants, pho shops and fruit vendors shaded beneath bright umbrellas.