The Vatican calls for « disarm AI » with the support of Anthropic

On May 25, 2026, Christopher Olah, co-founder of Anthropic, shared the Vatican's platform with Pope Leo XIV to present Magnifica Humanitas, the first papal encyclical devoted to artificial intelligence. Exactly three months after the Trump administration banned the company from all U.S. federal agencies. A historic presence at the Vatican, no signed partnerships

The encyclical of 245 paragraphs does not mention Anthropic or Claude, its AI model. The 45,000-word text condemns the concentration of digital power and calls for « disarming AI » to prevent it from dominating humanity, without naming any company. A senior Vatican source clarified to the National Catholic Reporter that Olah's presence was « neither a validation, nor a prize, nor a reward ».

On February 27, 2026, Donald Trump ordered all federal agencies to immediately cease using Anthropic. The Pentagon labeled the company as « a risk to the supply chain » and gradually ended the military contract, which could reach up to $200 million, signed in July 2025. The issue: Anthropic refused the use of Claude for autonomous lethal weapons without human supervision. The Vatican statement of May 25 comes as Anthropic challenges Trump's decree in court.

What does Anthropic gain from the Vatican?

The official announcement released by the Vatican shows Christopher Olah, 33, a Canadian atheist, alongside the Pope and four cardinals. For a company banned by Washington and labeled as a threat to national security, the image holds significant value. It positions Anthropic as the preferred interlocutor of the Vatican on AI ethics, in contrast to competitors like OpenAI or Google who have not received this platform.

During the presentation, Olah acknowledged that « every leading AI laboratory, including Anthropic, operates within a set of commercial and geopolitical incentives that can sometimes conflict with doing what is right ». A statement that sounds different when spoken from Rome rather than from San Francisco.

Pope Leo XIV concluded the ceremony with these words: « What a great sign of hope that we can, despite our differences, listen to each other. » Anthropic has turned an American sanction into international moral credibility.

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Source : Anthropic