Nairobi, 25 June, 2026 / 11:23 pm (ACI Africa)
The Bishop of Nigeria’sCatholic Diocese of Oyohas called upon Church leaders in Africa to receive Pope Leo XIV’s Encyclical LetterMagnifica Humanitas“as a mandate” for the continent to actively participate in the governance of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and ensure that Africa’s voice is heard in shaping its future
In his keynote address duringa formation webinarfor Bishops, Religious Superiors, and senior ecclesial leaders that theAssociation of Member Episcopal Conferences in Eastern Africa(AMECEA) organized on Tuesday, June 23, BishopEmmanuel Adetoyese Badejo said the document should not be viewed “as a warning to Africa.”
“Let us receive Magnifica Humanitas not as a warning issued to Africa from elsewhere,” Bishop Badejo said during the event that was held on the theme, “Leading the Church in the Age of Artificial Intelligence.”
The former President of thePan African Episcopal Committee for Social Communications(CEPACS), an entity of theSymposium of Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar(SECAM), emphasized that the document should instead be taken “as a mandate entrusted to Africa: to interpret and insist on our voice being heard in the governance of this new technology.”
He said Pope Leo XIV’s first Encyclical Letter, which focuses on safeguarding the human person in the age of AI, offers the Church in Africa an opportunity to engage with technological transformation through the lens of Catholic Social Teaching
