The head of the Catholic Church, Leo XIV, stated in his first encyclical that rising military expenditures, the development of autonomous weapon systems, and artificial intelligence pose a serious threat to the entire world.
The Pontiff urged world leaders to stop dangerous militarization and to actively seek diplomatic ways to resolve conflicts.
Global tensions and rising military expenditures are becoming an increasing threat to peace. This is stated in the first encyclical of Pope Leo XIV, in which the head of the Catholic Church outlined his vision of the most pressing issues of our time, reports NOS.
Leo XIV warned about the dangers of autonomous weapon systems and artificial intelligence. According to him, "the growing ease with which autonomous types of weapons can be deployed makes war more attractive and less controllable by humans."
Such technologies are already actively used, particularly on the battlefield in Ukraine. This includes, for example, drones that can independently select targets using AI and destroy them. The Pope emphasized that the development of such technologies is happening too quickly and called on world leaders to "hit the brakes."
These alarming trends, the Pontiff linked to increased defense spending in many countries around the world. According to him, not only Europe and the Middle East but also other regions are allocating more and more resources to armament.
"In many countries, this is presented as the only response to an uncertain future or perceived threats," the document states. At the same time, in the Pope's opinion, it is the poorest segments of the population that pay the price, gaining less access to healthcare, education, and other social services.
Leo XIV expressed particular concern about the modernization of nuclear weapons. He fears that the risk of using tactical nuclear weapons, which can be used directly on the battlefield while still causing immense harm to civilian populations, is increasing.
The Pope did not name specific countries but criticized the overall trend toward increased militarism. According to him, humanitarian law norms are increasingly being ignored, and the protection of civilians, access to water, and food are beginning to be perceived as "naive relics of the past."
Leo XIV also noted that starting a war is much easier than stopping it, and criticized the insufficient efforts of the international community in diplomatically resolving conflicts.
As the media points out, many provisions of the encyclical resonate with previous statements by the Pontiff, in which he criticized the policies of U.S. President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the context of the conflict surrounding Iran.
Leo XIV believes that humanity is entering a period where technological development outpaces moral and political constraints. According to the Pontiff, without international arms control and a rejection of escalation policies, the world risks facing even more destructive conflicts.
