As God’s people enter the Promised Land, Moses presented the choice ahead of them: “I have placed before you life and death, the blessing and the curse. So choose life in order that you may live” (Deut 30:19).
Similarly, Pope Leo begins his first encyclical by presenting us with the choice we face today: “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” (MH 1).
Stories about data centers, flock cameras, and rogue AI agents are filling more and more of my newsfeed. I read articles from AI Doomers predicting the end of humanity, and from AI Dreamers forecasting utopia. This feels like a pivotal moment in history. A pivotal enough moment for the pope to weigh in.
Like how his 19th century predecessor—Pope Leo XIII—issued the first social encyclical Rerum Novarum to address the “new things” of his generation, this spring, Pope Leo XIV gave us Magnifica Humanitas to help us navigate the present day. Specifically, the pope is helping us discern how to safeguard the human person in the age of AI. He goes on to say:
“Technology has the power to heal, connect, educate and protect our common home; but it can also divide, exclude and generate new forms of injustice. In the abstract, technology in and of itself is not a solution to humanity’s problems, just as it is not inherently evil. In practice, however, technology is never neutral, because it takes on the characteristics of those who devise, finance, regulate and use it. Therefore, the primary choice is not between a ‘yes’ or ‘no’ to technology, but rather between constructing Babel or rebuilding Jerusalem; between a power that claims to dominate the heavens and a people who work together in the presence of God to rebuild the walls of fraternal coexistence” (MH 9).
I would like to invite you to read and discern Pope Leo’s guidance with me this October. I’m leading a four-week study group to read and discuss the landmark encyclical, Magnifica Humanitas: On Safeguarding the Human Person in the Time of Artificial Intelligence.
This group is for:
Catechists
Teachers
Priests
Parents
Anyone trying to better understand what it means to live as a Christian in the modern world
This workshop will help you:
Better understand the Kerygma and the Church’s social teaching
Participate more in building the Kingdom of God in the age of artificial intelligence
Apply the Church’s social teaching to your own life
Have the skills and confidence to read and understand papal documents
In this study group, you will have:
The freedom to participate as you want
The opportunity to learn and grow within a small group
A non-judgmental space that proclaims and invites, but never imposes
The chance to ask and discuss any questions that you have
Details:
This is a four-part live study group that will be held virtually on Thursday, October 8, October 15, October 22, and October 29 at 7:30-9:00pm (EST).
The first meeting will include personal introductions and a brief catechesis from me about the encyclical and Catholic Social Teaching in general. The study group will be held in a seminar format where small group-discussion will be prioritized over lecture or formal presentations.
Pricing:
This four-week study group is $250.
Making this group available to anyone who can benefit from it is important to me, but it’s also an essential part of my family’s income. I don’t want inability to pay to be obstacle for you to participate. So if you can’t pay the full $250, please pay what you can (even if it’s only $10). And if you can pay more than $250, please consider giving more to offset the cost.
And if you can’t attend this workshop, but you are grateful that resources like this exist, please consider financially supporting it.
How to Pay:
1. Send a custom payment via PayPal (paul@faheycounseling.com) or Venmo (@catholicthirdspace)
2. Or use your credit card to pay $250 here:
https://buy.stripe.com/00w9AS4ga0Wc7To3DFdIA05
I’m looking forward to having you in this group.