Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ -

Magnificent Humanity! A wonderful title for Pope Leo's first encyclical addressing AI. Its opening line captures the hope of his letter to all people of good will by setting out two paths for the reflections in his letter:

“Humanity, created by God in all its grandeur, is today facing a pivotal choice: either to construct a new Tower of Babel or to build the city in which God and humanity dwell together.”

Read the encyclical here, Magnifica humanitas: On Safeguarding the Human Person in the Time of Artificial Intelligence.

Published on Monday, May 25, the Pope signed the encyclical on May 15, the 135th anniversary of the promulgation of Pope Leo XIII’s Rerum novarum, which addressed the technological developments of the 19th century. Taking up the legacy of his predecessor, his encyclical which addresses one of the principal challenges of the contemporary age: artificial intelligence.

Below is video introduction and an overview of the letter produced by the Vatican. Each week, we'll share a summary of each chapter to help your reading.

It is an expansive letter in which the pope utilizes references to Tolkien, Beethoven, and other artists to illustrate his reflection. A striking paragraph about our humanity is:

118. Our relationship with life seems to be in crisis today. Everything that appears as a “limit” — incapacity, illness, old age, suffering, vulnerability — tends to be seen primarily as a defect to be corrected, rather than as a reality through which our humanity matures and opens itself to relationship. And yet we must remember that humanity flourishes not despite limitations, but often through them.

Peace and blessings,

Father Gil

Join us for the premiere of a special choral program, titled Francis, composed by distinguished UCLA professor Dr. Richard Danielpour.

With a diverse sonic landscape, Francis orchestrates three main elements that shape our humanity—curiosity, generosity, and compassion. Speaking from the soul, Dr. Danielpour shares that the story of Saint Francis of Assisi allows us to look at the Power of Love rather than the Love of Power, as he represents how people must love and accept their neighbors, regardless of class, gender, race, or their beliefs.

Especially in a time when our nation is endlessly divided, Dr. Danielpour invites us through the rich harmonies and emotional prose in Francis to consider that human beings are more alike than unalike, challenging our notions of humanity.

For peace in every nation: for an end to the war in Iran, Ukraine. For all those wounded and killed and for the safety of service members in harm's way. For peace, may the light of the Holy Spirit transform hearts so that all may seek the way of peace together, let us pray to the Lord:

For our immigrant sisters and brothers living in fear of deportation, may the Lord accompany them through the ministry of the Christian community:

For the healing, comfort, and peace of the sick, Gwen Thompson, Bernadette Tee, Grace L'Manian, Jeannie Cheng, Richard Welch, Catherine Peacock, Dan Bianco, Nancy Campbell, Gary Orfield, Manolo Velez, Victoria T. Picard, Amparo Haber, Shirley Ruess, Sister Irene Wright, Melinda Nadres, Greg Tinsley, Jack & Vicki Phillips, Tel Ramon, Mary Pat Cooper, Todd Wiench, Bernadette Tee, Estrella and John Monzon, Charles Candel, Marisa Kavanau, Carol King Wolcott, John Wolcott, Angel Appleton, Clark Gassan, Lohriena Lohrie Counts, Nora McCormick Heinen, Weldon Tilley, Paul Lannan, Eileen Gaffney.

For the eternal rest of our beloved departed, Debbie Battaglia, Madeleine Lord, Cecile Bianco, Mary Loberg, Mary Claire Arbus, Dolores Diaz, Grace Hiney, Robert Cimiluca, Antonia T. Semar, Gary Bourgeois, Andrew Politz, Pauline Zaloski, James Wilkie, Father Richard Chilson, CSP, Father Daniel McCotter, CSP, Zenaida B. Chua, Antonia T. Semar, Mike Lanning, Jaroslan Witkoski, Susan Burkhard, Connie Pobre, John A. Woodward IV, Terry Casey, Darrel Bengry, Joan Doyle, Cristina Mirendolf, Elaine Vucelich, Marietta Lavin, Jeffrey Graham, Renee Good, Alex Pretti, Robert J. Burns, John 'JJ' Goldrick, Dellie Abad, James Kennedy, José Fernandez, Terry O'Malley Seidler, Rich Puppione, Christie Farmer, Alfred Ruess, Christohper Hudlin, Alan Culver, Laura James, Anne Marie Hannick, Father Greg Goethals, SJ, Ron Schuster, Bobby Burks, Father Jack Lynch, CSP, Arlene Havel, Phil Duncan, Michele Kearin, Father Brad Schoeberle, CSP, Mary Tokuza, Haruko Hiromura, Donny Kie, Cesar Robeniol, Nellie Scholar, may they rest in peace.