Pope Leo unveiled the Vatican’s new encyclical, «Magnifica Humanitas,» warning that artificial intelligence risks becoming a tool of «domination, exclusion and death» unless governments and institutions place moral limits on the rapidly developing technology.

The Vatican is formally entering the global debate over artificial intelligence as governments and tech companies race to develop increasingly powerful AI systems with limited international regulation.

The pontiff invoked Pope Leo XIII’s 1891 encyclical «Rerum Novarum,» which addressed worker exploitation during the Industrial Revolution, arguing that AI represents a similarly transformative moment threatening human dignity.

«Today we find ourselves facing a transformation of similar magnitude, with perhaps even greater consequences,» the Pope said.

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The pope warned about increasingly autonomous weapons systems that are beyond meaningful human control. He also said AI systems could block access to healthcare, employment and security because of biased data. He compared AI governance to nuclear arms control.

«Like nuclear energy, it must be at the service of all and of the common good,» he said.

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Pope Leo XIV leads a vigil for peace inside St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican on April 11, 2026. (Gregorio Borgia/AP)

The pope said disarming AI alone is not enough and called on governments and institutions to «build» systems rooted in trust and human dignity. Recalling devastating floods in Peru, he said rebuilding means restoring trust and hope.

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Pope Leo XIV leads the Angelus prayer from the window of the Apostolic Palace at the Vatican on March 1, 2026, warning that escalating violence in the Middle East risks becoming an «irreparable abyss.» (REUTERS/Guglielmo Mangiapane)

The pope also laid out the church’s broader argument about humanity and technology.

«The person bears within him- or herself a freedom, an interiority and a vocation to love and worship that no machine can replace,» he said.

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The Vatican is attempting to insert moral theology into a largely secular technological arms race.

«Stay awake,» the pope urged, warning humanity not to surrender moral judgment to machines.

New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill and Sen. Andy Kim, D-N.J., met with the families of detainees being held at a migrant detention facility that critics say should be shut down amid «unacceptable» conditions and an ongoing hunger strike.

Kim and Sherrill, both Democrats, have asked U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) for access to the Delaney Hall center in Newark, where hundreds of illegal immigrants are being held.

«I’m back at Delaney Hall with @GovSherrillNJ and other members of the NJ delegation to meet with families of detainees and listen to community advocates,» Kim wrote Monday on X. «We’re working together to make sure they’re heard and to speak out with them. Delaney Hall must be shut down immediately. ICE cannot be allowed to continue operating in this way.»

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Fox News Digital has reached out to ICE for comment.

A Department of Homeland Security (DHS) spokesperson said Kim personally called Secretary Markwayne Mullin, and that he was allowed in the facility to conduct his congressional oversight responsibilities. However, the spokesperson criticized Sherrill over he appearance at the detention center. 

«Governor Sherrill’s visit to Delaney Hall is nothing more than a political stunt on Memorial Day when visitation is currently suspended due to riots outside the facility,» the spokesperson told Fox News Digital. «Yesterday, approximately 125 agitators surrounded Delaney Hall Detention Facility, many carrying anti-ICE signs and Antifa flags. They formed a human chain around entrances to the facility and set up barricades, blocking all entries and exits.»

On Sunday, protesters clashed with authorities outside the privately run facility — which was revamped as an immigration detention center last year — where some detainees have gone on a hunger strike to protest allegedly poor conditions inside.

Sherrill said she was «deeply disturbed» by the conditions inside Delaney Hall, noting that she has always opposed private detention facilities and advocated against them.

«I will continue to call for the closure of Delaney Hall because of reports like these,» she wrote Sunday on X. «I have contacted ICE to gain access to the facility and my office remains in close coordination with our federal delegation and with advocates, and I commend their continued oversight and work to hold DHS accountable.»

Kim and Rep. Rob Menendez, D-N.J., arrived at Delaney Hall on Sunday but were denied entry. Critics of the facility allege that detainees endure squalid conditions and mistreatment from staff.

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The Delaney Hall Facility building is shown in this image. (StateCourt.org)

«In sum, Delaney Hall is dangerous for those being detained, their loved ones, and all who care about immigrants’ rights, fundamental constitutional freedoms, and democracy,» the American Civil Liberties Union of New Jersey said in February. «Yet in the face of these cruel conditions, community members and families have united in fierce opposition to Delaney Hall’s existence and the abuse of human beings therein.»

All detainees are provided with 3 meals a day, clean water, clothing, bedding, showers, soap, and toiletries, «DHS said. 

«Illegal aliens also have access to phones to communicate with their family members and lawyers,» the agency said. «Certified dieticians evaluate meals. In fact, ICE has higher detention standards than most U.S. prisons that hold actual U.S. citizens.»

«It is a longstanding practice to provide comprehensive medical care from the moment an alien enters ICE custody,» the statement continued. «This includes medical, dental, and mental health services as available, and access to medical appointments and 24-hour emergency care. For many illegal aliens this is the best healthcare they have received their entire lives.»

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Democrats have repeatedly called for Delaney Hall to be closed. In May 2025, protesters — including three congressional lawmakers and Newark Mayor Ras Baraka — gathered outside the facility and clashed with authorities. They allegedly rushed past security through the gates, which had opened to allow an ICE bus inside.

U.S. Rep. LaMonica McIver, D-N.J., faces a federal three-count indictment for allegedly assaulting, resisting and impeding federal law enforcement officers that day. She allegedly shoved and struck officers to prevent the arrest of Baraka.

At the time, then-Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin categorized some of the detainees inside Delaney Hall as «murderers, terrorists, child rapists and MS-13 gang members» while questioning why the lawmakers continued to advocate for them.

Las elevadas temperaturas que afectan a buena parte de Europa, superiores a las habituales en mayo, obligaron a las autoridades de varios países a decretar alertas por calor y extremar las precauciones para evitar incendios forestales.

En el Reino Unido, este lunes se alcanzó la temperatura más alta en un mes de mayo, 34,8 grados centígrados, marcada en los jardines botánicos de Kew, en el suroeste de Londres.

Esta cifra supera el anterior máximo de 33,5 grados, también hoy cerca del aeropuerto de Heathrow, en Londres, y al vigente hasta ahora, los 32,8 grados registrados en 1922.

La Oficina Meteorológica británica (Met Office) sitúa las temperaturas más altas en las próximas horas en el centro y el sur de Inglaterra, especialmente en el área de Londres, y en Gales.

Alerta amarilla en España y Francia

En España, tres comunidades autónomas (regiones) del norte del país (Asturias, Cantabria y País Vasco) y el archipiélago de Canarias están en alerta amarillo por temperaturas de más de 34 grados centígrados.

La Agencia Estatal de Meteorología (Aemet) informó de que durante el fin de semana el país experimentó “temperaturas muy altas para la época”, entre cinco y diez grados por encima de lo habitual.

Este episodio de calor se acentuará durante el resto de la semana, con un repunte de las temperaturas a partir del miércoles.

En Francia, los servicios meteorológicos colocaron este lunes 18 departamentos, incluido París, en alerta amarilla por la ola de calor.

Para mañana, se pusieron en alerta naranja (el segundo nivel más alto de una escala de cuatro) ocho departamentos y 17 en alerta amarilla.

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Según Météo France, se trata de un “episodio de calor precoz” que afecta sobre todo al oeste del país y a la capital.

La ola de calor se extiende hacia el norte, con termómetros por encima de los 30 grados. Solo parte de las fachadas atlántica y mediterránea se escapa de estas elevadas temperaturas.

Alertas de incendio en Portugal

En Portugal, siete municipios del Algarve (sur) y una treintena del interior del país están en riesgo “máximo” o “muy elevado” de incendio por la subida de las temperaturas, de acuerdo con el Instituto Portugués del Mar y la Atmósfera (IPMA).

El aumento generalizado de las temperaturas, que comenzó el jueves, se mantendrá al menos hasta el fin de mayo.

Irlanda también registra temperaturas récord para mayo, que podrían superar los 28 grados en los próximos dos días.

El día más caluroso en mayo sucedió en 1997 en la localidad de Ardfert Liscahane, en el condado de Kerry, cuando el mercurio subió hasta los 28,4 grados. Las condiciones podrían cambiar a partir del jueves con la llegada de lluvias desde el suroeste.

En Alemania, el largo fin de semana (por la festividad de Pentecostés) fue muy cálido, con máximas de 33 grados el sábado.

Las temperaturas descendieeron posteriormente, aunque, conforme a la previsión del Servicio Meteorológico Alemán (DWD), es posible que a lo largo de la semana vuelvan a alcanzarse los 30 grados en algunas zonas.

Austria activó este lunes alertas amarillas por altas temperaturas en cinco capitales regionales del país con valores superiores a 30 grados y previsiones de un ligero aumento el martes, según el servicio meteorológico público Geosphere Austria.

En la capital, Viena, los termómetros llegarán hasta los 30 grados. La alerta amarilla por esta primera ola de calor del año se mantendrá en amplias zonas del país el martes y el miércoles.

En la misma línea, el servicio meteorológico de la República Checa alertó sobre el riesgo de incendios forestales en las regiones central y noroeste de Bohemia, una advertencia que podría extenderse a otras zonas del país.

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Praga, situada en la región de Bohemia Central, registró máximas de 29 grados durante el fin de semana, muy por encima de los valores habituales para mayo.

El récord histórico para este mes en la capital checa es de 32,2 grados, alcanzado el 11 de mayo de 1866.

Italia vive temperaturas casi veraniegas debido a un anticiclón de origen subtropical instalado en el área del Mediterráneo. Las altas temperaturas, superiores a lo habitual, se mantendrán, según los expertos de ‘IlMeteo.It’, hasta el jueves.

En Milán se alcanzarán picos de 35 grados, mientras que en la capital, Roma, o en Nápoles (sur) rondarán los 30 grados.

(Con información de EFE)