Digital colonialism operates through data extraction and algorithmic dependency.
In his inaugural encyclical, Pope Leo XIV has placed the Catholic Church squarely within one of the defining moral debates of our age — not as a voice against technology, but as a witness to the patterns of power it reproduces. Drawing on the Church's long memory of colonialism, he names the extraction of data from the world's most vulnerable as a continuation of an old story in new machinery, and proposes the ancient discipline of fasting as a means of recovering what algorithms quietly take: attention, agency, and the freedom to think.
- The Pope's framing of data extraction as digital colonialism gives moral language to a structural harm that governments and corporations have largely refused to name.
- The 'AI fast' proposal disrupts the assumption that technological immersion is neutral — treating algorithmic dependency as a spiritual condition requiring deliberate remedy.
- Catholic dioceses and universities are already moving to study and implement the encyclical's recommendations, signaling institutional momentum beyond symbolic declaration.
- The Vatican has announced a review of its own technology contracts, turning the moral lens inward before projecting it outward.
- The deeper tension remains unresolved: whether the Church's moral authority can bend the arc of tech regulation, or whether it will offer only a framework for personal resistance while systemic extraction continues.
Pope Leo XIV's first encyclical arrived this week as a direct challenge to the technology industry, framing the way companies harvest data from the world's poorest populations as digital colonialism — a modern echo of the imperial structures that once extracted resources from colonized lands. The document positions the Catholic Church as a moral authority on questions that governments and tech companies have largely left unexamined.
The encyclical's most arresting proposal is an 'AI fast' — a deliberate, structured abstinence from artificial intelligence systems. The Pope is careful to frame this not as rejection of technology but as spiritual discipline, drawing on the Catholic tradition of fasting as a practice that clarifies the mind and restores agency. Applied to AI, the fast is meant to help individuals and institutions notice how deeply algorithmic systems have embedded themselves in daily life, and to reclaim some measure of sovereignty over their own choices.
At the heart of the document is a structural critique: tech companies extract data from users in developing nations, train their systems on that material, and sell services back to those same populations — capturing value at every stage while leaving little benefit locally. The Pope extends this argument inward, describing algorithmic curation of information as a colonization of the mind itself, a form of power once held by priests and teachers now exercised invisibly by code.
The encyclical has already begun to move institutions. Several dioceses are studying its recommendations, Catholic universities are exploring digital fasting curricula, and the Vatican has announced a review of its own technology contracts. Whether this momentum translates into broader influence on tech regulation — or remains a spiritual framework for personal resistance while the machinery of extraction runs on — is the question that will determine whether this document becomes a turning point or a historical footnote.
Pope Leo XIV released his first encyclical this week, and in it he took direct aim at what he calls digital colonialism—the way technology companies extract value from the world's poorest and most vulnerable populations, much as empires once extracted resources from colonized lands. The document represents a significant moment for the Catholic Church's engagement with technology policy, positioning the institution as a moral voice on questions that governments and tech companies have largely left unexamined.
The encyclical's most striking proposal is what the Pope terms an 'AI fast'—a period of deliberate abstinence from artificial intelligence systems, framed not as Luddite rejection but as spiritual discipline. The idea echoes traditional Catholic fasting practices, which have always been about more than hunger; they are meant to clarify the mind, strengthen the will, and create space for reflection on what truly matters. Applied to AI, the fast becomes a tool for individuals and institutions to step back from algorithmic dependency, to notice how thoroughly these systems have woven themselves into daily life, and to reclaim agency over their own choices.
What makes this encyclical noteworthy is not that the Pope opposes technology—the Church has long engaged with innovation—but that he frames the problem in explicitly colonial terms. Digital colonialism, as he describes it, operates through data extraction. Tech companies harvest information from users in developing nations, train their systems on that data, and then sell services back to those same populations, capturing the value at every stage. The poorest countries and poorest people within countries become both the raw material and the market, with little benefit accruing locally. It is a structure that echoes the old imperial model, just with different machinery.
The encyclical also addresses algorithmic dependency—the way AI systems shape what people see, think, and believe without their knowledge or consent. The Pope argues that this represents a form of spiritual danger, a colonization of the mind itself. When algorithms decide what information reaches you, they are making decisions about your reality. When they predict your behavior and nudge you toward certain choices, they are exercising a form of power that was once the domain of priests, teachers, and parents. The Church, in this reading, has a responsibility to name this shift and to offer people tools—like the AI fast—to resist it.
The proposal has already begun to ripple through Catholic institutions. Several dioceses have announced they are studying the encyclical's recommendations, and some Catholic universities are considering how to implement digital fasting periods into their curricula. The Vatican itself has indicated it will be reviewing its own technology contracts and data-sharing agreements in light of the Pope's words.
What remains unclear is how far the Church's moral authority will extend on this question. The encyclical speaks to Catholics directly, but its arguments about digital colonialism and algorithmic power are relevant to anyone living in the digital economy. Whether religious institutions can move the needle on tech regulation, or whether they will simply offer their followers a spiritual framework for resistance while the machinery of extraction continues unabated, is the question that will define whether this encyclical becomes a turning point or a footnote.
Notable Quotes
The Pope argues that algorithmic systems represent a colonization of the mind itself, shaping what people see and believe without their knowledge or consent.— Pope Leo XIV's encyclical
The Hearth Conversation Another angle on the story
When the Pope calls this 'digital colonialism,' what exactly does he mean by the parallel? Isn't that language a bit loaded?
It's loaded intentionally. He's saying the structure is the same: extraction of value from populations with less power, with the benefits flowing elsewhere. A tech company harvests data from millions of people in Nigeria or the Philippines, trains its AI on that data, then sells the resulting service back to those same people. The value gets captured at every stage by the company, not by the communities that generated the raw material.
But people choose to use these apps. They're not forced. That's different from colonialism.
True, but choice under constraint is still constraint. If everyone around you uses WhatsApp, you use WhatsApp—not because you've freely chosen it, but because the alternative is isolation. And you don't see the contract you're signing. You don't know what data is being taken or how it's being used. That's the colonialism part: it happens without real consent or understanding.
So the 'AI fast' is meant to break that cycle?
It's meant to create a moment of clarity. The Pope is saying: step away for a while. Notice what you're dependent on. Notice what you miss and what you don't. It's not about rejecting technology forever. It's about reclaiming the ability to choose, rather than having your choices made for you by algorithms.
Do you think Catholic institutions actually have the leverage to push back against tech companies?
Not alone. But if they start reviewing their contracts, asking hard questions about data use, and teaching their communities to think critically about these systems, they create a model. They show it's possible to engage with technology differently. That matters more than any single policy change.