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Pope Leo Denounces Rising European Military Spending
He said 14% higher European military spending is draining education and health care and weakening trust in diplomacy, citing pressure from Donald Trump and NATO.
- On Thursday, May 14, 2026, Pope Leo XIV visited Sapienza University in Rome, denouncing rising European military spending and AI-driven weaponry as a "spiral of annihilation" that betrays diplomacy.
- European military spending surged 14 percent in 2025 to $864 billion, fueled by the Russia-Ukraine war and pressure from U.S. President Donald Trump, who urged NATO members to target 5 percent of GDP for defense.
- Investments in AI weaponry create an "inhumane evolution" of conflict, the Pope warned, arguing such spending diverts funds from education and health while enriching elites who "care nothing for the common good."
- During the visit, the Holy Father met young Palestinians who arrived in Italy via a humanitarian corridor from Gaza, highlighting the human cost of global conflicts he described as "maimed by wars."
- These themes are expected to feature in the Pope's upcoming encyclical, which aims to place the church at the forefront of moral debates regarding AI, human dignity, and the "implosion of a possessive and consumerist paradigm.
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Dnoticias
Dnoticias"Let us not call 'Defense' the rearmament that increases tensions and insecurity," says Pope Leo XIV, lamenting that the world is "distorted by wars and the rhetoric of war."
·Portugal
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In an event at the prestigious La Sapienza University in Rome, Leon XIV asked not to call "defense" when rearmament, and denounced the "inhuman evolution of technology and war," which lead to "a spiral of annihilation."
·Buenos Aires, Argentina
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Pope Leo condemns use of AI warfare and the 'spiral of annihilation' it brings
Leo’s speech at Rome’s La Sapienza University marked the first time a pope has visited the campus since Pope Benedict XVI called off a planned speech there in 2008 in the face of protests from faculty and students.
·Washington, United States
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Coverage Details
Total News Sources53
Leaning Left14Leaning Right9Center15Last UpdatedBias Distribution39% Center
Bias Distribution
- 39% of the sources are Center
39% Center
L 37%
C 39%
R 24%
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