“Even the era of AI can become a time in which the Holy Spirit brings about the civilization of love in our lives.”
While Pope Leo XIV’s Magnifica Humanitas (2026) warns of the dehumanizing risks posed by artificial intelligence, at its heart the encyclical calls for renewed human engagement and collaboration to “build a civilization of love.”
His plea could not come at a more urgent time. For decades, civic associations—once the bedrock of local communities—have steadily disappeared due to declining memberships. As these institutions wane, Americans have become increasingly siloed, with technological advances such as social media and AI further deepening loneliness and isolation.
As a result, a widening void has diminished civic life—and, indeed, charitable attitudes toward others. Drawing on the biblical image of reconstructing Jerusalem’s walls, Pope Leo argues civil society’s restoration is crucial to safeguarding human dignity. Indeed, every person has a role, as he writes:
“All are given their own section of the wall: scientists and researchers, entrepreneurs and workers, educators and legislators, civil society, popular movements and faith communities. This is the logic of subsidiarity, which values the cooperation between generations, peoples, disciplines and cultures as the best way for fostering stability, prosperity and peace.”
Strengthening the fabric of local societies, however, is not for the faint of heart—but will require intentionality and perseverance. As Pope Leo explains, a “civilization of love will not arise from a single or spectacular gesture but from the sum total of small and steadfast acts of fidelity that serve as a bulwark against dehumanization.”
Unfortunately, Americans are increasingly disconnected from the very communities Pope Leo urges them to rebuild. A Pew Research Center study found approaching two-thirds (62%) are disengaged from local communities—favoring instead online activity like social media posting. But even the most engaged members are “most likely to have negative feelings about the state of the country,” Pew states.
More troubling still, there may be fewer Americans willing to “pick up the mantle” in the not-too-distant future. While older generations remain active within their local communities, younger generations tend to be spectators, those who “follow the news and interact with it online but are less engaged in other aspects of public life.” Concurrently, young Americans see civic engagement primarily through a political lens, expressed through protests, rallies, and advocacy.
The question, then, becomes: How do we inspire Americans—particularly younger generations—to be tangibly involved in their local communities? To not only protest, but to volunteer at a soup kitchen, mentor a struggling child, visit the lonely, or serve in a parish ministry?
It is easy to make a sign, march, and gather for a cause at the local town green. It is far harder to spend an evening with society’s troublesome and vulnerable, those whom Christ calls us to love patiently. But the latter, Pope Leo suggests, is a “fundamental dimension of our humanity” reflecting a civilization’s heart and “ability to recognize the other as a face not merely as a function.”
If current trends hold, civil society may worsen—which itself presents an existential crisis for the American republic. For 250 years, the nation has depended on civic and volunteer associations, which have enabled citizens to meet the needs of their fellow neighbors without excessive government dependence and interference. A stronger civil society, then, preserves self-government and liberty, as well as organic and authentic collaboration.
More importantly, it fosters “friendship and universal fraternity,” as Pope Leo states, and a genuine love of neighbor and community. However, most Americans seldom know their neighbors, if at all, making that biblical question—“And who is my neighbor?”—harder to answer.
The online experience hardly promotes “love thy neighbor.” It is easier to cast stones behind a screen than encountering another person face-to-face.
Yet people need human connection. Young people, especially, hunger for deep friendships and ties outside of the digital realm—and for good reason. As Pope Leo emphasizes, pursuing the common good “gives life to a people” because “people learn to recognize that they themselves are interconnected and jointly responsible for the res publica.”
This is not a utopian—or even communistic—endeavor. His encyclical reiterates the Church’s view on these dehumanizing pursuits and ideologies. Nor does he recommend jettisoning technology and AI altogether. Instead, Pope Leo argues technology must remain properly ordered toward the human person rather than replacing authentic human relationships. As he writes, technology can accomplish tremendous good with the “power to heal, connect, educate and protect our common home.”
For civil associations confronting declining memberships, the dawn of AI may present an unexpected opportunity for engagement. Used prudently, these tools can help organizations communicate more effectively, recruit volunteers, and connect with a generation searching for community. To despair, however, dooms groups to an early demise.
At the same time, we must remain vigilant, resisting the temptation to offload our thinking to machines while preserving the ingenuity and creativity that makes us uniquely human. And we must recognize humanity’s capacity not only for great evil, but for its great ability to love. In truth, a simple gesture and act can change and revitalize someone’s soul. Through civil associations, neighbors are able to be the hands, feet, ears, eyes, voice and heart of Jesus Christ. As St. Teresa of Ávila famously wrote, “Christ has no body now on earth but yours.”
Pope Leo’s encyclical echoes this same call, saying, “In the humble fidelity of daily life, even the era of AI can become a time in which the Holy Spirit brings about the civilization of love in our lives.” Like the walls of Jerusalem, communities can be rebuilt over time in parish halls, ballfields, food pantries, schools and so on—places where people can once again “know thy neighbor.”
Artificial intelligence will transform our economy and daily lives, but what will never change is the truth: every person is beloved by God; human hearts need community; and the primary vocation in all of our lives is to love.
For America to endure and truly love again, civil society cannot retreat. It must lead. After all, historically, these groups have been the avenue by which citizens cultivated compassion and collaboration.
It is imperative, then, for us to meet the moment: reach out, invite, mentor, and form the next generation. Utilize technology, but never replace real person-to-person encounters or degrade others’ human dignity. We must act with a Christ-like lens by “becom[ing] ‘weavers of hope’ in our world,” as Pope Leo teaches, “sharing who we are and what we have, so that the presence of Jesus may grow among us and his Kingdom take shape.”
