9 Quotes from Pope Leo XIV’s Speech at UNESCO
14.10.2026
On Friday, September 25, Pope Leo XIV made an official visit to UNESCO – the first visit by a Pope in over 40 years.
In the main auditorium, he addressed the international community, choosing to focus his speech on the themes of human dignity, peace, dialogue, and AI.
The speech was given in the context of today’s pressing issues, as well as Pope Leo XIV’s Encyclical Letter, “Magnifica Humanitas” – a document he authored on safeguarding the human person in the age of artificial intelligence.
During the Pope’s speech, he continuously called to mind our shared humanity, and insisted that peace, justice, and dialogue must spring forth from its recognition.
Here are 9 quotes from Pope Leo XIV’s speech at UNESCO:
- “Every culture, therefore, realizes its highest wisdom when it seeks peace and the good of all, bearing witness to the authentic meaning of our humanity.”
- “Peace cannot be built by treaties alone, nor by compromises between opposing forces. Peace is genuine when it springs from the virtue of justice rather than from a mere contract, and from an upright will rather than from an unstable balance of interests. ”
- Indeed, only an upright will can recognize in the other a brother or sister, a person like oneself.
- “Our efforts [in the field of technology] must ensure that new technologies remain at the service of the human person, rather than becoming yet another instrument of domination and injustice.”
- “The paradox has become increasingly evident: while ‘intelligence’ is attributed to computational systems, we struggle to recognize the inalienable dignity of human persons, whose lives are judged according to the criterion of efficiency and, when deemed no longer productive, are rejected and discarded.”
- “In the digital age, [children and young people’s] vulnerability must never become an opportunity for exploitation. May these technologies support their growth, education and relationships, safeguarding their freedom to think and discern, and always remaining at the service of the dignity of the human person.”
- “As we cooperate in this work, religious traditions have a culturally necessary and irreplaceable role to play. Religions voice our questions regarding the origin of life and its purpose. They deal with the ultimate meaning of our lives, which is reflected in our daily decisions.”
- “For if all of us are firmly committed to the grandeur of our common humanity, peace can finally flourish.”
- “It is my hope that our meeting today will confirm all of us in our efforts to foster a more lively, profound and effective consciousness of our membership in the one human family.”