Mary Glindon MP: Hope and prayers for the Pope

The Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin mocked the papacy in the 1930s by asking how many military divisions he had as if only hard power mattered and soft power was irrelevant.

History got its revenge on Stalin when the Polish Pope, John Paul II, made an important contribution to the transition from communism and military rule in Poland to power for the trade union movement, Soldarnosc.

The current Pope, Leo XIV, is American. It’s fair to say there has been a frisson in relations with the American leader, Donald Trump.

The Catholic Church and a succession of Popes have advocated measures to help the poor and advance the interests of the working man and woman.

One of the biggest challenges facing America and the rest of the world is the future of Artificial Intelligence.

Some say that it could save millions and prevent early deaths by accelerating diagnosis of disease. Others fear that it could eliminate millions of jobs for new entrants to the labour market. There is also a debate about how AI could do its own thing and eliminate the human race.

The Pope is highlighting the need for human dignity, ethics, and the common good at the core of technological development. Technology must serve humanity rather than reduce people to data points, financial metrics, or instruments of efficiency.

There’s no substitute for conscience: Algorithms can optimize decisions based on data, but they lack human conscience, moral judgment, empathy, and personal responsibility.

All this is topical and crucial and I’m pleased that the Pope is deploying his moral authority on the pros and cons of AI. Such voices are badly needed in this age of greed and danger.

Sadly, however, the Pope is prone to human frailty as much as anyone else and is currently recovering from an operation.

I have tabled a Commons motion on this and already secured cross-party support.

The motion simply says the Commons is deeply saddened that His Holiness Pope Leo XIV has been diagnosed with Lung Adenocarcinoma; and hopes and prays that he recovers swiftly from his recent surgery and thrives for many more years to come.