Pope Leo XIV References Tolkien in AI Encyclical

Pope Leo XIV released his first encyclical, titled “Magnifica humanitas,” on Monday. The letter addresses the safeguarding of the human person amid artificial intelligence. The document draws on the teachings of Pope Francis and Pope Leo XIII. It warns of a technocratic paradigm that reduces creation to an object of exploitation and compares current developments to the Industrial Revolution.

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Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings. The quoted text, attributed to the character Gandalf, states that people should do what is in them for the succour of the years in which they are set. Wired reported that some readers viewed the Tolkien reference as a response to interpretations of the novels by tech executives Peter Thiel and Elon Musk.

The article noted Thiel’s naming of Palantir after an object in the books and Musk’s October social-media post linking hobbits to immigration policy. The Vatican did not immediately return a request for comment. Neither Thiel nor Musk immediately returned a request for comment on the encyclical.