(LifeSiteNews) — Swiss theologian Father Martin Grichting has said that Pope Leo XIV should deal with the “chaotic legacy” in doctrine left by Pope Francis rather than focus on Artificial Intelligence.

Grichting, the former vicar general of the diocese of Chur, Switzerland, wrote an opinion piece in the Swiss newspaper NZZ on May 27. He said that a “central criticism” in the run-up to the publication of Leo’s first encyclical, Magnifica Humanitas, was “that by raising the issue of AI, the Pope was engaging in populist public relations on a topic that did not belong to his core mission.”

Francis has “left him, as far as actual doctrine was concerned, a chaotic legacy.”

“He was supposed to devote himself primarily to this confusion,” Grichting said. “However, the desire to address what is, if only perceived as, a deficit of modernity in the Church seems to have prevailed. It is evident from the encyclical that the Vatican has sought to be perceived as contemporary. Thus, Hannah Arendt is quoted, as well as Tolkien and Viktor Frankl.”

“From a political perspective, the choice of topic may be a shrewd one,” the Swiss priest stated. “For the Bishop of Rome is weighing in on a global debate marked by uncertainty. Undoubtedly, he aims to restore the Church’s ability to engage in geopolitical discourse, which his predecessor had undermined.”

“At the same time, he can place himself in the tradition of his namesake Leo XIII (died 1903). However, Leo XIII’s influential socio-political encyclical Rerum novarum was actually his 38th encyclical. Whether Leo XIV is serving his own Church with his debut work is another matter entirely.”

“For as a servant of God, he is venturing into a technical-instrumental terrain that is still relatively undeveloped and where no one can foresee how it will unfold,” he continued. “Moreover, as Pope, he cannot assert any authority in the realm of the Church’s social teaching – even within his own Church – that goes beyond the philosophical strength of his arguments.”

“For [Catholic] social teaching is not doctrine, but rather a theological reflection on earthly realities.”

“In this regard, the observation by Pope Benedict XVI applies: The Church’s positions on temporary matters that do not pertain to the essence of the doctrine of the faith are necessarily temporary answers, because they refer to realities that are in themselves subject to change.”

Grichting noted it as a positive that AI is “viewed with nuance and not condemned prematurely” by Pope Leo; however, he warned that the calls for AI regulation may be misguided, since state actors do not necessarily do a better job of reining in the technology’s risks than private companies.

The priest said that “a globalist-interventionist perspective shines through” in Magnifica Humanitas.

“Leo does not resort to the heavy-handed rhetoric of his predecessor, who spoke of an economy that kills. His dictum that AI must be ‘disarmed,’ nevertheless, reveals a friend-or-foe mindset. It is precisely here that the papal encyclical becomes vulnerable to criticism.”

“For it is necessary to remove AI from the ‘logic of armed competition,’” he continued. “The race for the most powerful algorithm and the most data is pernicious. The market and competition among AI providers are thus portrayed as problematic. This is immediately followed by a call for ‘regulatory instruments.’ The Pope even brings the U.N. into the picture.”

“For it is necessary to rein in private, often transnational actors. Whether the state-paternalistic or the market-liberal position is the better one is likely difficult to decide, even using criteria from this world. For it should also be considered that competition among AI systems can help prevent monopolies and curb abuses.”

“Ultimately, the Pope is also concerned with the authority to interpret,” Grichting said. “For he would be reluctant to see a select few, who possess vast technical and economic resources and are thereby able to influence a significant number of people, making decisions about ‘what is true regarding humanity and the world, the meaning of life, the family, and even God.’”

“After all, we [Catholics] have been successfully engaging in this very activity ourselves for 2,000 years,” he stated.

Grichting acknowledged that AI poses a threat to humanity, citing the “true prophet” on the issue, philosopher Martin Heidegger.

Heidegger predicted that “an attack on human life and the human essence” was being prepared “through the means of technology.”

Technology would “bind, bewitch, dazzle, and blind” people, so that one day “calculative thinking would remain the only form of thought in use and practice.”

Humanity, according to Heidegger, should not condemn technology, but must prevent it from “exclusively claiming us and thus distorting, confusing, and ultimately desolating our essence.”

“Heidegger arrived at his demand that ‘contemplative thinking’ must take precedence over ‘calculative thinking’ solely through the means of natural reason,” Grichting wrote.

“Nothing has changed regarding the validity of this postulate. Pope Leo XIV’s theological reflections on computers and algorithms confirmed it seventy years later,” he concluded.