Pope Leo XIV Warns AI, Weapons Fuel Annihilation Spiral

ROME (AP) - Pope Leo XIV warned Thursday that surging investments in artificial intelligence and high-tech weaponry are propelling the world toward a "spiral of annihilation," urging peace in the Middle East and Ukraine during a speech at Europe's largest university.

Speaking at Rome's La Sapienza University, the American pope addressed an audience in the main lecture hall of the institution, founded in 1303 by Pope Boniface VIII. The visit marked the first by a pontiff since Pope Benedict XVI canceled a planned appearance in 2008 amid protests from faculty and students. Leo received a warm welcome, including from newly arrived Palestinian students who had reached Italy via a humanitarian corridor from Gaza.

The Italian government, in partnership with Catholic organizations, has facilitated the arrival of hundreds of Palestinians for education and medical treatment since the Israel-Hamas war began in Gaza in 2023. Leo greeted some of these students at the campus chapel before his speech and met them again afterward.

In his address, Leo criticized the dramatic rise in military spending this year, particularly in Europe, which he said has come at the expense of education and...