Tuesday’s News & Ideas - 5/26/2026

Pope Leo takes aim at big tech in sweeping encyclical on AI
NPR: Pope Leo XIV took direct aim at the power of Big Tech in his first encyclical on Monday (May 25), warning that artificial intelligence risks widening inequality, weakening democracy and undermining what it means to be human.
Axios: 5 ways Pope Leo says AI could warp humanity
Religion News Service: What is an encyclical? Inside Pope Leo’s urgent warning about AI and the ‘culture of power’

As seminaries shuttered, Union grew. For Serene Jones, controversy was the price of survival.
Religion News Service: Jones is stepping down as president of Union Theological Seminary after 18 years. Her tenure has been defined by difficult, sometimes unpopular decisions that helped stabilize the institution even as mainline Protestantism declines.

As Stephen Colbert signs off, America loses a prophet
Religion News Service: Comedians are doing some of the most serious moral work in America right now.

Another Pope Leo warned about modernization — in 1891*
The Washington Post: For Pope Leo XIV, AI poses great challenges for society. For Pope Leo XIII, it was the Industrial Revolution. Here's a comparison of two encyclicals — 135 years apart — addressing technological upheaval.

Years of ignored warnings freed a children’s pastor to sexually abuse girls, lawsuit says
NBC News: Long before an Assemblies of God pastor was convicted of rape, children told church leaders about hidden cameras, drugged drinks and abuse, a new lawsuit says.

The Spark

‘You can’t control everything’: The rise in plastic surgeons asked to create ‘AI face’
Growing numbers of people are seeking improbable cosmetic surgery based on chatbots’ recommendations, The Guardian says.

*access is limited for nonsubscribers