The National Catholic Register reports on May 28, 2026, that the encyclical “Magnifica Humanitas” by the antipope Leo XIV (Robert Prevost) lays out concrete “action items” for daily life, focusing on artificial intelligence, human relationships, and social doctrine. While addressing political leaders and AI creators, the document primarily targets ordinary people with calls to “get involved,” “cultivate relationships,” “help children,” “prioritize human employees,” “be mindful of words,” “revive dialogue,” “adopt a program of Christian life,” and build a “construction site of our time.” The text frames these actions within a vision of “solidarity,” “common good,” and a “civilization of love” with Christ as its cornerstone, contrasting it with a modern “Tower of Babel.” However, this entire edifice is constructed upon the rotten foundations of Modernism, reducing the supernatural mission of the Church to a mere program of social activism and psychological well-being, devoid of the essential truths of the Faith.
The Absence of the Supernatural: A Naturalistic Manifesto
The most glaring omission in the encyclical “Magnifica Humanitas,” as presented by the National Catholic Register, is the complete absence of the supernatural order. The “action items” proposed are almost entirely concerned with naturalistic humanism: social engagement, psychological well-being, economic justice, and ethical technology use. While these are not inherently evil, their elevation to the primary focus of an encyclical, to the exclusion of the Church’s true mission, constitutes a profound betrayal of her divine constitution.
The Church, as defined by the Council of Trent and countless pre-conciliar documents, exists for the salvation of souls through the preaching of the Gospel, the administration of the sacraments, and the guidance of the faithful towards eternal life. Pius XI, in his encyclical *Quas Primas*, unequivocally states that Christ’s reign “extends not only to Catholic nations or to those who, by receiving baptism according to law, belong to the Church, even though their erroneous opinions have led them astray or discord has separated them from love, but His reign encompasses also all non-Christians, so that most truly the entire human race is subject to the authority of Jesus Christ.” This universal kingship demands the proclamation of the one true Faith and the necessity of conversion to the Catholic Church for salvation. Yet, Leo XIV’s encyclical, as summarized, offers no such call. Instead, it speaks of “solidarity,” “common good,” and “civilization of love” – concepts that, in their modernist context, often serve as substitutes for the hard truths of the Gospel, promoting a false sense of universal salvation without the need for explicit faith or conversion.
The Cult of Man and the Heresy of Modernism
The encyclical’s emphasis on “human dignity” and the “human person” as the central focus, while seemingly noble, is a hallmark of the Modernist heresy condemned by St. Pius X in *Pascendi Dominici Gregis* and *Lamentabili Sane Exitu*. Modernism, as St. Pius X explained, places man at the center, reducing religion to a mere sentiment or social phenomenon, rather than a divinely revealed truth demanding supernatural faith.
Leo XIV’s call to “cultivate relationships,” “revive dialogue,” and “build a construction site of our time” with “Christ as its cornerstone” is a classic example of this anthropocentric shift. The “Christ” referred to here is not the God-Man who established a hierarchical Church with the power to teach, govern, and sanctify, but rather a vague, immanent spirit of love and fraternity that can be found in any human endeavor. This is precisely the “dogmaless Christianity, that is, into a broad and liberal Protestantism” that St. Pius X warned against (Proposition 65, *Lamentabili Sane Exitu*). The encyclical’s concern for AI’s impact on “personal creativity and judgment” or the “desire to form genuine human connections” reflects a profound anthropologization of faith, where the spiritual life is reduced to human psychology and social dynamics.
The “Tower of Babel” and the False Dichotomy
Leo XIV presents a false dichotomy: either construct a “new Tower of Babel” or build a “city in which God and humanity dwell together.” This is a manipulative rhetorical device. The true dichotomy is between the City of God and the city of man, between the one true Church founded by Christ and all false religions and secular ideologies. The “Tower of Babel” is not merely a project “conceived without reference to God” but a symbol of human pride and rebellion against divine authority. The “city in which God and humanity dwell together” is not a vague utopia built on human effort, but the Catholic Church, the Mystical Body of Christ, which alone offers the means of salvation.
Pius IX, in his *Syllabus of Errors*, condemned the idea that “the Roman Pontiff can, and ought to, reconcile himself, and come to terms with progress, liberalism and modern civilization” (Proposition 80). Leo XIV’s entire encyclical is an exercise in precisely this reconciliation, attempting to baptize modern secular concerns and present them as Christian imperatives. His call to “enter the construction sites of history” – “research laboratories, technology companies, schools, the media, institutions and local communities” – is a call for Christians to engage with the world on its own terms, rather than transforming the world according to the unchanging principles of the Gospel. This is the very essence of the “hermeneutics of continuity” applied to social doctrine, where the Church’s mission is reduced to a partnership with secular forces for the betterment of humanity, rather than the conversion of humanity to Christ.
The Silence on Essential Truths
The “action items” proposed are not merely insufficient; they are positively dangerous because they divert attention from the true state of the Church and the world. In an age of rampant apostasy, where the very existence of God is denied, where the sacraments are profaned, and where heresy is preached from the highest pulpits, Leo XIV offers advice on AI etiquette and “cultivating relationships.” There is no mention of the necessity of the true Mass, the sacraments of confession and Holy Eucharist as administered by validly ordained priests in communion with the true Church. There is no call to repentance, no warning against mortal sin, no exhortation to pray the Rosary for the conversion of sinners and the restoration of the Church.
The “program of Christian life” he suggests – “contemplating God’s plan, living ecclesial unity by partaking of the Eucharist, building a world centered on the common good and praying in union with the Blessed Virgin Mary” – is a hollow shell. Which “Eucharist”? The Protestantized “Novus Ordo” that denies the propitiatory sacrifice? Which “ecclesial unity” within the conciliar sect that has shattered the Church into a thousand factions? Which “God’s plan” that is constantly reinterpreted to align with modern secular values? This is not a program for Christian life; it is a recipe for spiritual suicide, leading the faithful deeper into the labyrinth of Modernism.
The “Common Good” as a Substitute for the Salvation of Souls
The repeated invocation of the “common good” and “solidarity” without the necessary supernatural framework is a hallmark of the social gospel that has infected the conciliar church. While the Church has always taught the importance of justice and charity, these are always ordered towards the ultimate good of the soul – its salvation and union with God. Leo XIV’s encyclical, as presented, focuses almost exclusively on temporal well-being, economic justice, and social cohesion, effectively reducing the Church’s mission to that of a humanitarian organization.
Pius XI, in *Quas Primas*, explicitly states that “the state is happy not by one means, and man by another; for the state is nothing else than a harmonious association of men.” He further emphasizes that “rulers and governments have the duty to publicly honor Christ and obey Him,” and that “the entire government of public schools… may and ought to appertain to the civil power… so far that no other authority whatsoever shall be recognized as having any right to interfere in the discipline of the schools, the arrangement of the studies, the conferring of degrees, in the choice or approval of the teachers” (Pius IX, *Syllabus of Errors*, Proposition 45). The encyclical’s call for “staying informed, engaging with others, making their voice heard and contributing to public decisions and choices” is a call for political activism within a secular framework, rather than a call for the establishment of Christ’s reign over all aspects of society, including education and governance.
Conclusion: A Call to Discernment, Not Compliance
The encyclical “Magnifica Humanitas,” as presented by the National Catholic Register, is a document entirely consonant with the spirit of Vatican II and the ongoing apostasy of the conciliar sect. It is a call for “men and women prepared to enter the construction sites of history” to rebuild a world that has collapsed under the weight of its own sin, but without the indispensable foundation of the true Faith, the true sacraments, and the true Church. It is a program for building a “civilization of love” on the shifting sands of naturalistic humanism, rather than on the Rock of Peter and the unchanging doctrine of Christ.
True Catholics, those who adhere to the integral Catholic faith as taught before 1958, must reject this modernist blueprint. Our “action items” are not found in the latest encyclical from the antipope, but in the unchanging truths of the Gospel, the teachings of the Fathers and Doctors of the Church, and the pre-conciliar Magisterium. Our duty is not to “construct a new Tower of Babel” with the tools of Modernism, but to work for the restoration of the Social Reign of Christ the King, the conversion of sinners, and the return to the one true Church, outside of which there is no salvation. Let us not be deceived by the soothing words of those who occupy the Vatican, but rather cling to the immutable Tradition, even if it means standing alone against the tide of apostasy. *Extra Ecclesiam nulla salus.*
Source:
10 Things Pope Leo Calls Us to Do in ‘Magnifica Humanitas’ (ncregister.com)
Date: 28.05.2026