Pope Francis Warns of a Heartless World

Pope Francis issued his fourth encyclical, "Dilexit Nos," on Thursday, addressing global turmoil marked by "wars, socio-economic disparities, and the uses of technology that threaten our humanity." Released to mark the 350th anniversary of St. Margaret Mary Alocoque's first apparition, the document urges believers to reflect on Jesus' love in a world overshadowed by consumerism and algorithms. The encyclical, spanning 350 pages and available in eight languages, avoids specific references to current conflicts though the pontiff makes frequent appeals for peace in Ukraine and Gaza in his homilies.

In his encyclical, Pope Francis laments the indifference to suffering on both sides of conflicts, interpreting it as evidence of a world losing its compassion. "When we witness the outbreak of new wars, with the complicity, tolerance or indifference of other countries," he warns, we might conclude our world is growing heartless. Francis underscores the risks of technology-driven societies eroding the capacity for reflection, suggesting that artificial intelligence shows our thoughts and will are more predictable and manipulable than previously realized. In a time of AI, "we cannot forget that poetry and love are necessary to save our humanity,'' he wrote.

(This story was generated by Newser's AI chatbot. Source: the AP)