The Pope calls for “diplomatic courage” in favor of peace and “rigorous ethical oversight” of artificial intelligence

Eduardo González Pope Leo XIV defended the “universal principle of the equal dignity of all human beings” before the Spanish Parliament on Monday when addressing the “tragic migrant crisis.” He called for “diplomatic courage, ethical responsibility, and a vision for the future founded on respect for the identity of each people” to build an “authentic and lasting” peace and rigorous ethical oversight of new technologies and artificial intelligence (AI) in the military sphere. The Pope, who is in Madrid on the third day of his apostolic visit to Spain, met early Monday morning with Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez at the Apostolic Nunciature in Madrid. Also present at the meeting were the Cardinal Secretary of State of the Holy See, Pietro Parolin; the Apostolic Nuncio to Spain, Piero Pioppo; and the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, José Manuel Albares. During the meeting, Sánchez presented Leo XIV with a 13-year-old Spanish olive bonsai, a “universal symbol of peace, dialogue, and understanding—values shared by Spain and the Vatican.” [caption id="attachment_144817" align="alignnone" width="750"] The Pope with Pedro Sánchez. / Photo: Pool Moncloa/Fernando Calvo[/caption] Later, the Pope addressed the Congress to deliver a speech in a joint session of the Cortes Generales (Spanish Parliament), in which he affirmed that the Church “listens to the questions of each era” and allows itself to be challenged “by everything that concerns the existence of men and women today.” Therefore, he asserted, when addressing public life, “it does so respecting the proper mission of institutions and the legitimate responsibility of those who have received the mandate to legislate.” In this context, the Pope warned representatives of the legislative branch that “a law does not attain its true greatness simply by being formally approved; it attains it when, in addition to being valid in form, it can stand up to the dignity of the person and emerge from that examination without shame.” “I invite you to raise your gaze: not to distance yourselves from reality, but to remember that every decision of public authorities affects real people, especially those who have less power to make themselves heard, because true vision consists precisely in looking more deeply at what is at stake in every public decision,” he proclaimed. “Therefore, alongside technical solutions and legal reforms, a moral renewal is also necessary,” he added. [caption id="attachment_144815" align="alignnone" width="750"] Photo: Congress[/caption] “In this chamber, social coexistence is given legal form,” the Pope continued, addressing the parliamentarians, members of the government, representatives of the highest state institutions, and invited guests. “Here, differences are heard, addressed, and, when possible, transformed into shared decisions.” Therefore, “beyond the legitimate diversity of positions, every legislative task ultimately encounters a crucial question: what conception of the human person inspires the laws, and what kind of society do these laws build?” With these starting points, the Pope warned that “the defense of human life,” from conception to natural death, “is not a partisan issue nor a confessional concern: it is a goal of civilization.” “When this certainty is obscured,” the most vulnerable “become the first victims, and the law loses its deepest meaning: to serve and protect every person,” he stated. Migration crisis, peace, and AI Leo XIV also addressed the “tragic migration crisis,” which “challenges the conscience of nations and the ethical foundation of the international order” and transcends any purely demographic or economic interpretation, constituting an eminently moral and legal issue. According to the Pope, when a person is discriminated against because of their national, ethnic, religious, or linguistic origin, or because of their economic or social status, “the universal principle of the equal dignity of all human beings is gravely violated.” Therefore, he warned, the situation of migrants and refugees requires “offering safe and legal pathways, respectful welcome, and real opportunities for integration; and promoting, at the same time, the right to remain in one’s own land, working to ensure that no one has to leave their home due to a lack of peace, security, or dignified living conditions, including economic inequalities and the effects of the climate crisis.” Regarding the current international geopolitical climate, the Pope affirmed that “peace presents itself as a political aspiration and, even more so, as a true moral imperative” and requires, on the international stage, “diplomatic courage, ethical responsibility, and a vision for the future founded on respect for the identity of each people,” as well as “the obligation of states to resolve their disputes through the peaceful means offered by international law.” “Political pluralism should not degenerate into the constant denigration of the adversary,” he added. Furthermore, Leo XIV acknowledged that “progress offers admirable possibilities,” especially thanks to “the development of artificial intelligence and new technologies,” but cautioned, referring to his new encyclical “Magnifica Humanitas,” that “discernment must focus on the place of the human person in our decisions, and how the dignity of work, solidarity, social policy, and the common good are being addressed in new ways today.” In this regard, he stated that the development of new technologies and artificial intelligence in the military field "demands rigorous ethical oversight, so that decisions about life and death are never delegated to automated systems or removed from the moral responsibility of the human person."

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