The LuLac Edition #5, 668, May 26th, 2026

 

TALE OF THREE  MAYORS

 

We attended the Memorial day parade yesterday in both the borough of Ashley and the Parsons section of Wilkes-Barre.

Met up with Wilkes-Barre Township Mayor, Carl Kurran, and his driver Mr. Hargraves along with our Mayor Wilkes-Barre George Brown.

I had the opportunity to drive the Mayor through Ashley with a very nice turnout and a great response to Mr. Brown. 

Then went to the Parsons section of Wilkes-Barre for the Memorial Day ceremonies put together by the planes lions club as well as Wilkes-Barre Councilman BIll Barrett.

 

Joining the Mayor and I in Parsons was Scranton Mayor Paige Canetti, who worked the crowd and walked the entire route of the parade.

In Ashley it was great to see old friend and former coworker. Kathleen Smith and in Parsons so great to see former Wilkes-Barre coworker of mine Eddie Postski, as well as my old political buddy from the early parts of the century James O’Meara. The men Memorial Day parades give honor to those fallen, but you have all of America’s survivors the opportunity to thank those brave men and women for making the ultimate sacrifice.

 

POPE LEO ON AI

Pope Leo XIV, in his first major teaching document, is warning that artificial intelligence is becoming a new test of human dignity, work and power. In the same document, the pontiff apologizes for the Vatican's role in legitimizing slavery.

In a document spanning nearly 42,000 words, Pope Leo XIV warned that artificial intelligence poses a growing threat to human dignity and human equality, calling for stronger regulation and a more balanced approach to developing AI technologies that keeps human dignity at its center.

Pope Leo urged technologists and political leaders to remain committed to building AI “for the common good” while embracing human limitations and weaknesses “without considering them an error to be corrected.”

The comprehensive document called “Magnifica Humanitas” or “Magnificent Humanity” touched on AI’s impact on nearly every pillar of a healthy society — equality, the environment, democracy, employment, education and parenting, among others.

Pope Leo grounded his first encyclical, officially titled “On Safeguarding the Human Person in the Time of Artificial Intelligence,” in the concepts of human dignity and “the common good.” The document builds on and frequently quotes the teachings of Leo’s predecessors, including Pope Francis, Saint John Paul II and Pope Leo XIII.

In the introduction, Pope Leo framed his teaching about AI in two biblical stories. The Tower of Babel offered a warning: When human beings pursue power and self-sufficiency without reference to God or one another, the pursuit could lead to confusion and collapse. Nehemiah’s rebuilding of Jerusalem shows the opposite approach: a prayerful and collaborative work where every person plays a role, with the goal of restoring relationships and community. Leo framed these examples as a choice that societies are up against when approaching the development of AI tools.

“The primary choice is not between ‘yes’ or ‘no’ to technology, but rather between constructing Babel or rebuilding Jerusalem; between a power that claims to dominate the heavens and a people who work together in the presence of God to rebuild the wall of fraternal coexistence,” Leo wrote.

In simulating a human, AI-generated communications are merely an appearance of relationships and risk turning people away from “genuine human connections.” Leo also highlighted AI’s environmental costs, warning that its enormous demand for energy and water contributes to rising carbon dioxide emissions. He called for the development of more “sustainable technological solutions.”

Emerging technologies, including AI, are not neutral, he explained. “They can either foster participation and justice or exacerbate inequality, control and exclusion,” Leo wrote. “For this reason, they must be evaluated by asking a crucial question: Do they truly help individuals and peoples to become more humane and fraternal, while respecting our common home and future generations?”

Leo’s first encyclical — a formal letter written by the pope and addressed to the Catholic church — is symbolic. Leo signed “Magnifica Humanitas” on May 15, the same day that 135 years ago Pope Leo XIII issued his first encyclical “Rerum Novarum” on capital and labor that defended workers’ rights during the first industrial revolution. Pope Leo chose his papal name partly in honor of Pope Leo XIII, whose encyclical has become the foundation of the church’s social teachingS,

Leo’s encyclical drew, too, on the social doctrine of the Catholic church and its key principles of the common good, universal destination of goods, of subsidiarity, solidarity and social justice.

Leo’s sprawling document is broken down into five chapters and details both the perils of the technology and its promises in society formation, governance, education and employment.

Leo also expressed concern about transhumanism, which envisions a “salvation” made possible by technology and apologized for the Vatican’s complicity in slavery. “It is impossible not to feel deep sorrow when contemplating the immense suffering and humiliation endured by so many in stark contrast to their immeasurable dignity as persons infinitely loved by the Lord. For this, in the name of the Church, I sincerely ask for pardon,” Leo wrote

But he warned against the new form of colonialism, in which those who hold wealth and power harvest data from vulnerable populations without consent.

To correct the course, he called for transparent supply chains and ethical standards for companies and investors and joint commitment to refuse exploitation. “Furthermore, digital platforms must cooperate responsibly with authorities and civil society to prevent communication, payment and profiling tools from becoming channels for the recruitment and control of victims,” Pope Leo wrote. (Yaho News, LuLac)