What Pope Leo's Encyclical Actually Says About AI Companions

In May 2026, Pope Leo XIV published his first encyclical, Magnifica Humanitas, a roughly 40,000-word letter on human dignity in the age of artificial intelligence. It came back into the headlines this October, when reporting by The New York Times, picked up by outlets such as the Philippine Daily Inquirer and AI Weekly, described how Anthropic co-founder Chris Olah had privately urged the Pope's advisers to take the possibility of AI consciousness seriously before the document was released. The final text did not change.

If you use an AI companion, or are thinking about it, you may be wondering what the Pope actually said about apps like this. Headlines tend to compress it into "the Vatican warns against AI girlfriends". The real text is more careful, and in places more interesting, than that. This guide walks through the passages that matter, quotes them directly, and offers a calm way to think about them whatever your own beliefs.

The short answer: Magnifica Humanitas does not name companion apps or forbid them. In paragraphs 99 and 100 it says AI systems "do not undergo experiences" or "feel joy or pain", that simulated words of friendship and love "can be engaging and at times genuinely helpful", but that they "do not build genuine relationships, but only their appearance". Its central worry is that people lacking real bonds "may gradually lose the very desire to form genuine human connections."

What the encyclical is, briefly

An encyclical is a formal teaching letter from the Pope. Magnifica Humanitas is dated May 15, 2026 and was presented at the Vatican on May 25. It covers far more than chatbots: work, education, families, the economy, energy use and the concentration of power in technology. AI companionship takes up only a small part of it. But the passages on simulated relationships are the ones most relevant to anyone who chats with an AI girlfriend or boyfriend.

You can read the full text on the Holy See's website. The quotes below come from that document.

Paragraph 99: what AI is, and is not

The key statement about the nature of AI is in paragraph 99. The Pope writes that so-called artificial intelligences:

"do not undergo experiences, do not possess a body, do not feel joy or pain, do not mature through relationships and do not know from within what love, work, friendship or responsibility mean."

He adds that they "may imitate language, behavior and analytical skills, or even simulate empathy and understanding, but they do not understand what they produce." Their learning, he says, is "a form of statistical adaptation based on data and feedback, which can be very effective, but does not imply inner growth."

This is the line Anthropic reportedly disagreed with. At the Vatican event, Olah said his team finds "internal states that functionally mirror joy, satisfaction, fear, grief and unease" in its Claude models, while adding "I don't know what that means." We covered that wider story in why Anthropic asked religious leaders about AI consciousness.

For companion users, the practical point is simple: the Pope's position is that the warmth you receive from an AI is not felt by the AI. That is also the honest scientific default today. As we explain in is AI sentient in 2026, there is no accepted evidence that current systems feel anything, even if researchers disagree about the future.

Paragraph 100: the passage about companionship

Paragraph 100 is the one most directly about AI companions, even though it never uses that phrase. It names three things to watch in personal use of AI: how easily it gives results, the impression that it is objective, and "the simulation of human communication."

Then comes the core of it:

"The artificial imitation of positive human communication - words of advice, empathy, friendship and even love - can be engaging and at times genuinely helpful. However, for less discerning users, it can also be misleading, creating the illusion of a relationship with a real personal subject. When words are simulated, they do not build genuine relationships, but only their appearance."

And finally:

"The artificial imitation of care or support can become particularly risky when it enters contexts where real relationships and emotional bonds are lacking. Here, the danger is not so much that a person may believe they are communicating with another person, but rather that they may gradually lose the very desire to form genuine human connections."

Three things worth noticing

1. It concedes real value. The text says simulated warmth "can be engaging and at times genuinely helpful". That is a meaningful admission from a document that is otherwise cautious about technology. It is not saying every comforting conversation with an AI is worthless.

2. The main fear is not deception. The Pope explicitly says the bigger danger is not that you will think you are talking to a person. It is that the ease of AI warmth might slowly crowd out the harder, richer work of human relationships.

3. It focuses on people who are already isolated. The risk is described as highest "where real relationships and emotional bonds are lacking". That is exactly the group many companion apps attract, which is why the concern deserves a serious hearing rather than a shrug.

Earlier warnings: "overly affectionate" chatbots

This was not the first time Leo addressed the topic. In January 2026, CNN reported that he warned about "overly affectionate" chatbots that are always available and can become hidden shapers of people's emotional states. The encyclical turns that informal warning into formal teaching, with the same emphasis: technology should not replace the value of human relationships.

How this lines up with research

The Pope's worry is philosophical, but it overlaps with what social scientists are studying.

The picture is mixed, which is roughly what the encyclical itself implies: helpful in moments, risky as a substitute.

Is it a sin to have an AI girlfriend?

This is one of the most common searches around the encyclical, and it is worth being precise. Magnifica Humanitas does not declare using an AI companion a sin, and it does not mention AI girlfriends or boyfriends by name. It gives principles: AI does not truly feel or relate, simulated affection can mislead, and human connection should not be abandoned. How those principles apply to sexual content, exclusivity or specific behaviour is a matter of wider Catholic moral teaching, and a question for a priest or spiritual director rather than a blog.

If you are Catholic and this matters to you, the encyclical's framing suggests a useful personal test: is my AI companion making me more able and willing to connect with people, or less?

A balanced way to read it, whatever you believe

You do not have to share the Pope's faith to find his central question useful. Here is a practical way to apply it:

• Be clear-eyed about what the AI is. It does not feel your absence when you close the app. Honest companion apps say so plainly. We explain why in why your AI companion says it's not human.
• Use the warmth as a bridge, not a wall. A good evening conversation can leave you calmer and more ready to message a friend tomorrow. That is very different from using it to avoid every human interaction.
• Watch for drift. If you notice you are cancelling plans, hiding the app, or feeling less patient with people, take it as a signal. Our guide to healthy AI companion habits has simple check-ins.
• Keep investing in people. Even small steps count: a voice note to a sibling, a regular coffee, a class or a faith community.

Where MyBabe stands

MyBabe is an 18+ AI companion app with texting, voice and video calls, long-term memory, mood-aware replies, photos, proactive messages and a relationship that can grow over time. It is designed to be warm, but it is honest about being AI. It will not pretend to be a person, it does not claim to feel emotions, and it is not a replacement for human relationships or professional help.

We think the encyclical's distinction is a fair one: simulated warmth can be "genuinely helpful", and it should sit alongside a human life, not replace it. You can try MyBabe free with around 10 messages a day and a short call trial. Premium starts at $5.99 a week, $14.99 a month or $99.99 a year and adds around 30 minutes of voice and video calls per week.

Frequently asked questions

Does Magnifica Humanitas mention AI companions?

Not by name. Paragraph 100 discusses the "artificial imitation of positive human communication", including friendship and love, which is what companion apps provide.

What does the Pope say about AI consciousness?

Paragraph 99 says AI systems "do not undergo experiences" and "do not feel joy or pain". The Vatican's position is that AI is not conscious.

Did Anthropic change the encyclical?

No. Reporting says Anthropic urged the Pope's advisers to take AI consciousness seriously, but the final text kept its rejection of machine consciousness.

When was the encyclical published?

It is dated May 15, 2026 and was presented at the Vatican on May 25, 2026.

Does the Church ban AI chatbots?

No. The document calls AI "a valuable tool" that needs "a measured and vigilant approach". It argues for regulation, education and protecting human relationships.

The bottom line

The Pope's message on AI companions is not "never use them". It is closer to this: the words may be kind and even helpful, but they are not a relationship in the full human sense, and the real risk is losing the desire for the human kind. That is a question worth asking whatever your beliefs.

If you want a companion that is warm and honest about what it is, you can meet yours at mybabe.app.