In his very first encyclical, Magnifica Humanitas ("Magnificent Humanity"), Pope Leo XIV addresses the moral and ethical challenges of artificial intelligence and its impact, for better or worse, on labor and the workplace, social relationships, and human dignity. Leo's timely message is ecumenical, intended to speak to the whole Church, not just the Roman Catholic community.

Join us online for a conversation with Dr. Cesar “CJ” Baldelomar, a member of our teaching team, as he considers the importance of Pope Leo XIV's message for our present and near future. He is joined by an intimate panel of thought leaders to engage the encyclical's implications for the life and witness of the Church.

César “CJ” Baldelomar, Ph.D., LL.M., J.D., is a member of the teaching team at New College Berkeley. A scholar-teacher, he has held academic appointments at Boston College, Mount Holyoke College, and Saint Mary’s College of California. His several publications explore wide-ranging topics from ecotheology to questions of identities to the prospects of education and writing as society collapses. Dr. Baldelomar was a Commonweal Magazine Fellow and has appeared in several media-news outlets to discuss Leo’s election as pope and his unfolding papacy.