Disarming Technology, Serving Peace: A New Direction from Pope Leo XIV
Pope Leo XIV has moved fast and centrally on peace issues, correcting an error of some 1,600 years ago, for it was just four centuries after Jesus that St. Augustine developed a policy that permitted countries to engage in “just war.” On its surface, this is not consistent with what Jesus preached and lived. Only in recent decades has Augustine’s doctrine been challenged by the Church's leaders, notably by two beloved popes, Pope John XXIII in his 1963 Pacem in Terris, and Pope Francis through numerous actions. Now, finally, in his wonderful Magnifica Humanitas, announced in May, Pope Leo XIV declared the “just war” theory outdated.
It is clear that religions have their own moral values, and it is hoped that religions will not only have the right theory on peace but will create an obligation for their adherents to live those values. In other words, a next step for the Vatican would be to articulate what the moral responsibility of Catholics is to foster peace.
Pope Leo XIV has now gone further on peace issues in the policy recently announced on “Disarming Technology, Serving Peace. Politics as Preventive Responsibility,” in which he is concerned about the real-world potential misuse of AI in putting war on autopilot. It is clear that the Pope will continue to deepen the Church's involvement in contemporary peace issues, and this is welcome. The Vatican announcement specifically highlights concerns surrounding AI and autonomous weapons systems.
His value-rich positions do raise an interesting point for national governments. Namely, states might well have a need for St. Augustine-like policies to defend their populations against threats, but it also seems appropriate to ask if states shouldn't also have policies, parallel to the Vatican's, to promote peace as a priority in governance.
Comments