New Pontiff has pledged and sets its vision, pledging to continue the “valuable legacy” of its predecessor, Prope Francis.
Pope Leo XIV has held his first meeting with the world’s Cardinals since his election as head of the Catholic Church, identifying artificial intelligence (AI) as one of the most important issues facing humanity.
Leo, the first American pope, laid out his vision for the Pope at the Vatican on Saturday, informing the Cardinals who chose him that AI would pose a challenge in defending “human dignity, justice, and workers.”
Explaining his choice of name, the Pope equated with the late Leo XIII, who defended workers’ rights during the dawn of the industrial age between 1878 and 1903, adding that “social education” was necessary in response to the modern revolution brought about by AI.
The late Pope Francis, who passed away last month, warned that AI could risk turning relationships into mere algorithms and called for an international treaty to regulate it.
Last year, Francis warned groups of seven developed countries that they would not fall into the machinery when to use weapons and less lethal tools as AI must remain human-centric.
In a speech given in Italian, Pope Leo repeatedly mentioned Frances and his lament about his death, saying that the late Pope left behind a “valuable legacy” and signaled him to continue his vision.
Later on Saturday, Pope Leo surprised the southern sanctuary of Rome, dedicated to the order of Madonna and Augustine.
People gathered in the town of Gennazzano, located in the square outside the main church that houses the Madre del Boon Consurio Sanctuary, waiting for Leo to appear. The bishop shook hands and offered blessings to several people in the crowd before entering the shrine.
Leo previously visited a sanctuary managed by Augustine’s monks last year when he was a cardinal. It has been a pilgrimage site since the 15th century.
China’s controversy
Francis was the Pope for 12 years and often attracted criticism from the conservative cardinals. He said he waters down the church’s doctrine on issues such as including the inclusion of LGBTQ Catholics and women’s leadership.
Leo, a former US cardinal Robert Prebust, was relatively unknown on the global stage, but before being elected he served as a senior official in the Vatican after spending most of his career as a missionary in Peru.
Saturday’s meeting took place in the same small Vatican auditorium where the Cards were gathered to discuss whether Conclave should be the next Pope.
Czech Cardinal Dominique Duca was quoted by Reuters for saying that the situation for Catholics in communist China was raised as a problem.
In 2018, the Vatican and China signed a controversial contract on the appointment of bishops within the country, giving Beijing some opinion on their choice.
Conservatives still attacked the secret deal as sold out, but Dukah told Reuters that the dialogue should be kept open in places where the church is being oppressed.
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