The International Theological Commission (ITC): Humanity’s future lies in relationship, not technology

A moment from the Jubilee of Youth, August 2025  (@Vatican Media)

The International Theological Commission (ITC) publishes “Quo vadis, humanitas (“Humanity, where are you going?”): The epochal challenge of Christian anthropology in the era of artificial intelligence and posthumanism.”

By Isabella Piro

“Quo vadis, humanitas?” is the title of a new document published Wednesday by the International Theological Commission, following the approval of His Holiness Pope Leo XIV, which was granted on 9 February.

The title captures the underlying rationale and ultimate purpose of the document: faced with unprecedented technological advancement, theology seeks to offer “a theological and pastoral proposal” which, in the light of the Gospel, considers human life as an “integral vocation” and involves “co-responsibility with regard both toward others and towards God.”

The ITC’s reflection is centred on Gaudium et spes, the Second Vatican Council’s Pastoral Constitution on the Church and the modern world, published just over sixty years ago: Quo vadis, humanitas? rests on the constitution’s call for “open” dialogue between the Church and the modern world and its vision of the “integral” human being, rooted in the unity of body and soul, heart and conscience, intellect and will.

Transhumanism and posthumanism

The first of the text’s four chapters is dedicated to development, characterized by two poles: transhumanism and posthumanism.

The first encompasses the desire to concretely improve, through science and technology, the living conditions of peoples, overcoming their physical and biological limitations. The second lives the “dream” of actually replacing the human, emphasizing the cyborg, the hybrid that blurs the line between man and machine.

Between these two poles lies the Christian faith, which “urges us to seek a synthesis” of human tensions in Christ, the Son of God made man, who died and rose again.

Digital technology as a living environment

After a quick overview of the relationship between development and technology in the most recent acts of the magisterium—from Pope St. John XXIII to Pope Francis—the document focuses specifically on digital technology, in light of the reflections of Pope Leo XIV.

“Digital technology,” it emphasizes, “is no longer just a tool, but constitutes a true living environment,” as it structures human activities and relationships. This is why the digital age has ushered in “a new horizon of meaning,” while also changing the notion of “universal,” which today refers to “what is shared in global connection” rather than “a common nature”…

This report was originally published on the Website of Vatican News. Please click here to read the full text.