Andrew Chesnut

The Vatican has cut ties with the Society of St. Pius X (SSPX) after it consecrated bishops without papal approval, leading to excommunications. Traditionalist Catholics affiliated with SSPX continue attending Mass and sacraments, despite Vatican warnings that these services are invalid. The society, which opposes Vatican II reforms, argues its mission to preserve traditional liturgy remains unchanged.

Pope Leo XIV is expected to sign an encyclical titled Magnifica Humanitas, focusing on artificial intelligence's impact on human dignity and labor rights. The document will position AI as a major moral and labor challenge of the new industrial revolution. This move is seen as an attempt to modernize Catholic social teaching for the AI era.

The Vatican is actively developing AI guidelines and cybersecurity measures to address AI-driven misinformation, issuing ethical frameworks and restricting AI use in religious contexts. Pope Leo XIV has prohibited AI-generated homilies, emphasizing human-centered technology, while experts note the Vatican's cautious yet influential role in shaping AI ethics globally.