Germany's Chancellor Is Reading the Pope's AI Encyclical on Holiday

Key points

• Friedrich Merz, Germany's chancellor since early 2024, chose Pope Leo's encyclical on artificial intelligence as his summer holiday reading.
• An encyclical is a formal letter from the Pope sent to the worldwide Catholic Church, setting out official teaching on a topic.
• Merz has faced repeated political difficulties since taking office 14 months ago, with his approval ratings at historic lows.
• Pope Leo's encyclical addresses the moral and social questions raised by AI, including its effects on work, dignity and truth.

Friedrich Merz is not having the easiest summer. Germany's chancellor, who has governed through one political rough patch after another since taking office 14 months ago, is on holiday. His beach read of choice is not a thriller.

Merz brought along Pope Leo's encyclical on artificial intelligence. An encyclical, a formal letter in which the Pope sets out official Catholic teaching on a subject, is not typical holiday fare. This one, however, has drawn attention far beyond church circles because of its subject: the promises and dangers of AI.

What does the Pope's AI document actually say?

Pope Leo's encyclical addresses AI as a moral question, not just a technical one. It asks who benefits when machines make decisions, what happens to the dignity of workers whose jobs are replaced, and how societies should guard against AI being used to spread falsehoods.

The document does not call for a ban on AI. It calls for AI to serve human beings rather than the other way around. That framing, putting people at the centre of technology, fits neatly with debates happening right now in the European Union, where regulators are finalising rules on how AI systems can be used in high-stakes settings such as hiring, healthcare and criminal justice.

Why would a chancellor read this?

Merz's approval ratings sit at historic lows, according to The Guardian, which first reported his holiday reading choice. A document asking big questions about technology, power and what leaders owe ordinary people may offer something different from a policy briefing.

Germany is also wrestling with where it stands on AI. The country has strong manufacturing and engineering sectors that stand to gain from automation, and millions of workers who worry about what automation means for their jobs. A pope writing about exactly that tension is, at minimum, timely.

What does this mean for ordinary people?

The encyclical is publicly available and written to be read by anyone, not only Catholics. If questions about AI's effect on work, privacy or fairness interest you, the document is worth an hour of your time.

For now, its main significance is what it signals about the conversation world leaders are having. When a chancellor under pressure reaches for a papal letter on AI rather than a spy novel, it suggests these questions feel urgent even at the very top.

Common questions

Is this encyclical official Catholic law?

An encyclical sets out the Pope's authoritative teaching and carries significant moral weight within the Catholic Church, but it is not civil law. No government is bound by it.

Where can I read the encyclical?

Pope Leo's encyclical on AI is published on the Vatican's official website and is free to read in multiple languages. Search for the encyclical's title on the Vatican site to find the full text.

Does the document name specific AI companies or products?

Encyclicals speak in broad moral terms rather than naming companies or products. This one addresses AI as a category of technology and the social structures around it.