The Catholic principle guiding popes through tech upheavals, from the Industrial Revolution to AI

Pope Leo is one of many popes to respond to technological change by drawing on a Catholic principle called ‘subsidiarity.’

By: Walter Scheirer, University of Notre Dame, The Conversation

Outlets: The Conversation

Published: July 31, 2026

Words: 1,282

Last Updated: 2 weeks, 5 days ago

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By Walter Scheirer, University of Notre Dame

Pope Leo XIV recently found himself in a position many of today’s students can relate to: having his writing tested for signs of artificial intelligence use.

Proudly Human, a tech company that analyzes creative work, announced July 21, 2026, that it had reviewed a collection of Leo’s speeches. In general, algorithms to sniff out AI aren’t always accurate. Fortunately for the pope, though, the company declared …

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