Before Pope Leo XIV published his first encyclical on May 25, 2026 — choosing the 135th anniversary of Leo XIII’s Rerum novarum as the date — a delegation of representatives from Meta, Google, and Amazon had already paid him a visit. A longer conversation followed at the French embassy to the Holy See. Anthropic co-founder Christopher Olah was scheduled to appear alongside Leo at the encyclical’s presentation. Anthropic had already been hosting briefings for faith leaders at its San Francisco offices, explaining how its models are built and why Catholic theological anthropology might inform the conversation. The maneuvering speaks for itself. Silicon Valley does not normally lobby the papacy. That it is doing so now tells you something about what the Vatican is perceived to represent: a moral authority with 1.4 billion followers, a long philosophical tradition, and no corporate stake in the outcome. For the tech industry, getting the Pope on board — or Read More…

The Vatican’s long, ongoing conversation with Silicon Valley