Pope Leo Condemns Europe's $864 Billion Rearmament, Warns AI Drives a Spiral of Annihilation
Updated
Updated · Reuters · May 14
Pope Leo Condemns Europe's $864 Billion Rearmament, Warns AI Drives a Spiral of Annihilation
4 articles · Updated · Reuters · May 14
Speaking to students at Rome's Sapienza University, Pope Leo said Europe's military buildup is not defence but a betrayal of diplomacy that increases tensions and insecurity.
Europe's military spending jumped 14% in 2025 to $864 billion — the biggest rise since the Cold War ended — amid the Russia-Ukraine war and pressure from President Donald Trump.
Leo said rearmament diverts money from education and health while enriching elites, and urged the university's roughly 110,000 students to resist ideology and national borders.
He also warned that artificial intelligence is making war more inhumane, pointing to conflicts in Ukraine, Gaza, Lebanon and Iran as evidence of a worsening technological spiral.
The Pope condemns Europe's rearmament. Can his moral authority challenge the continent's rising military spending?
How did a university that once rejected a Pope come to embrace his successor 18 years later?
How will the Pope's new encyclical define morality for a world increasingly run by artificial intelligence?
$681 Billion Arms Race, AI Ethics, and the Vatican’s Stand: Pope Leo XIV Confronts the Global Militarization Surge (2025–2026)
Overview
In 2025, global military spending reached record highs, especially in Asia and Oceania, where expenditures surged by 8.5% to $681 billion, driven largely by China’s continued buildup. This escalation fueled regional tensions and prompted neighboring countries to increase their own defense budgets. Amid this arms race, Pope Leo XIV strongly denounced the growing militarization and the use of artificial intelligence in warfare, warning of its inhumane consequences. He called for a shift from fear and armament to peace, dialogue, and responsible technology governance, urging world leaders to prioritize human dignity, youth protection, and the redirection of resources toward health and development.