A Moral Man
Pope Leo XIV is a one-man army for good at a time when good is in short supply
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I brought white roses for Pope Leo in Rome on a Sunday in May.
I wrote a letter to him, with the following words:
I wish to tell him how much I believe he is healing the world in this dark hour — he is bravely countering war and cruelty with steady and persistent goodness. I believe he is bringing the true meaning of Christ back in a powerful way, at a time when Christ is being misused.
I am friends with Gareth Gore and him meeting with the Pope sent a very loud message that this Pope cares and is approachable… I will be in Rome on Sunday, with roses for him.
I am an American who spent the last year in Europe praying in every Cathedral, and I was in Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris on May 8 when the news came he would be our new Pope.
I knew it was a sign that we now had a counterweight to the growing authoritarianism, and he is using his influence in ways I had hoped for — he is giving the pro-democracy world a fighting chance, and I am so grateful.
In this report below, I wrote:
“I do think Pope Leo is showing us the way, offering a beacon of light right now.”
I simply wish to say, “Thank you.”
I was stunned when I woke up this morning to a note from veteran reporter Tom Carter, who is also friends with the author of Opus, Gareth Gore, who had a 40-minute meeting in March with the Pope at his request.
Carter, the Leonard Leo whistleblower, wrote:
Pope encyclical thanks Gareth Gore? Promises action on Opus Dei? Is there any other way to interpret that?
He attached the highlighted screenshot from the Pope’s warning on how artificial intelligence needs to be ‘disarmed.’
Imagine, one of the most powerful men in the world praising journalists.
In his encyclical, which is historically a letter to Catholic bishops but now a letter to the world, Pope Leo wrote:
In particular, some journalists, driven by a passion for truth, have played a crucial role in bringing injustices and abuses to light. To them, I wish to repeat the words that Pope Francis used in speaking to journalists: “I also thank you for what you tell us about what goes wrong in the Church, for helping us not to sweep it under the carpet, and for the voice you have given to the victims of abuse.” [146] Yet vigilance and transparency remain first and foremost a grave responsibility for the Church herself, and we must not wait for others to compel us to confront uncomfortable truths about ourselves.
I am momentarily speechless.
I have spent the past decade fighting for the survival of truth, and on November 5, 2024, my own country abandoned me on the battlefield. Journalists were replaced with Russian subcontractors, given all access passes to the White House and the Pentagon.
For the Pope to praise the Fourth Estate when it is under global siege in a multi-front war is a moment.
And I am savoring it.
While the techfrauds blather about AI like silver tongued carnies selling humanity snake oil, the Pope is speaking about disarming AI like a new nuclear arms race.
“The word (disarming) is strong, I know, but deliberately chosen because this moment needs words capable of attracting attention,” he said.
Although the Pope focuses his letter on AI, he also apologizes for the Catholic Church’s past wrongs, namely slavery.
On behalf of the Vatican, he humbly asked for a pardon.
And he sees what I see, how the authoritarian ringleaders are pro-enforced labor, as he wrote about slavery in relation to AI — noting the threat of “new digital slaveries” leading to the exploitation of people.
As I make my way through Gulag Archipelago, it’s clear the Pope knows history and isn’t afraid to make the connections.
The encyclical was aptly named “Magnifica Humanitas” (”Magnificent Humanity”), and I encourage you to read it.
The Bette Dangerous community regularly brings in guest speakers from war zones, and the Pope condemned AI’s use in warfare.
“No algorithm can make war morally acceptable.”—Pope Leo XIV
“Developers bear a particular ethical and spiritual responsibility, for every design choice reflects a vision of humanity,” he said.
Hearkening back to Charlie Chaplin’s famous speech in The Great Dictator, Pope Leo said:
We cannot be satisfied with merely calling for the moralization of machines — the so-called “alignment” of AI with human values — without also having the courage to insist on a further condition: the possibility of openly discussing the ethical frameworks involved and subjecting them to shared standards of social justice. Otherwise, those who control AI will impose their own moral vision, which will become the invisible infrastructure of these systems. A more moral AI is not enough if that morality is determined by a few. What is needed is a more active political involvement that is capable of slowing things down when everything is accelerating, and of protecting the opportunities for communities still to be able to participate and ask questions.
The letter is a very moral document. He writes of moral dignity and I read his words through tears.
We need a moral man in this moment, where ‘hard-core sadistic lunatics’ — as Marci Shore calls them — are leading us to a new global gulag.
Join me in lighting a candle for our Pope, whatever your faith.
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Begin each day with a grateful heart.
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I’m thanking God for you, beloved Heidi! I’m thankful for your brilliance, your dedication to truth, your love and your courage to speak. Thank you for showing us the example of a moral man in our Pope. Bless you forever.