Everybody is a comedian, like Bishop Strickland is a pope.

Everybody is a comedian, like Bishop Strickland, LifeSiteNews and others are popes.

The phrase "everyone's a comedian" doesn't mean that everyone is hilarious. It means that everyone thinks they're. Just like the phrase "everybody is a Pope." People may think they can do a better job than Pope Francis or Pope Leo, including Bishop Strickland, LifeSiteNews and similar traditionalist commentators have mocked or sharply criticized Pope Leo's encyclical Magnifica Humanitas


LifeSiteNews and others criticize Pope Leo on several fronts.

• They argue that a Pope's first encyclical should focus on core spiritual matters, dogma, or theological crises rather than acting as a tech-ethics policy paper.


The "Cardinal Fernández" Factor: Prior to its release, LifeSiteNews heavily highlighted that the document would be reviewed by Cardinal Víctor Manuel Fernández—a highly polarizing figure among conservative Catholics—which fueled pre-emptive skepticism and mockery from the outlet.

Rejection of "Moral Machines": While Pope Leo XIV argues in the text that AI cannot replace human conscience, critics argue the Vatican is spending too much energy trying to "baptize" or regulate silicon technology instead of addressing internal Church fractures.

What the Encyclical Actually Says
Despite the backlash from conservative commentators, Magnifica Humanitas attempts to establish a moral framework for the digital age:

• Technology Is Not Neutral: It posits that AI takes on the moral character and biases of the people who code and finance it.

• Human Dignity Over Automation: The Pope explicitly rejects autonomous lethal weapons and warns against the extreme consolidation of power by a few tech monopolies.

• Non-Prescriptive Approach: Rather than demanding specific global laws, the document is a call for broad education, transparency, and human responsibility


The NY Post's Maureen Callahan  opined that Pope Francis'  "slam of selfish pet parents proves he never owned a pet.' Or National Catholic Reporter's
Flora Tang who frequently criticizes Pope Francis and  writes that "Pope's comments are about more than pets. They reinforce the church's narrow view on reproduction and marriage."

Bishop Strickland has been a public critic of the Bishop of Rome, in direct opposition to Jesus' High Priestly Prayer

This canonical line of reasoning reflects the technical distinction between different levels of the Catholic Church's Magisterium (teaching authority).
Under Catholic canon law, an encyclical focused on social, political, or technological ethics—such as Magnifica Humanitas—falls under the ordinary Magisterium. Because it addresses contemporary socio-ethical guidelines rather than dogmatically defining an unchangeable article of faith (such as the Divinity of Christ or the Trinity), it does not carry the weight of infallibility. Consequently, bishops and theologians possess a canonical framework to voice scholarly reservations or pastoral concerns, provided it is done with due reverence for the papal office.

However, this canonical allowance sits in deep tension with the spiritual and theological critique  regarding Jesus' High Priestly Prayer for unity (John 17:21: "that they may all be one"). This clash highlights two fundamentally different views on the role of a bishop and the nature of church hierarchy:

Beloved:The end of all things is at hand.

Therefore be serious and sober-minded

so that you will be able to pray.

Above all, let your love for one another be intense, because love covers a multitude of sins.

Be hospitable to one another withoutplcomplaining. As each one has received a gift, use it to serve one anotheras good stewards of God’s varied grace.Whoever preaches, let it be with the words of God;whoever serves, let it be with the strength that God supplies,so that in all things God maybe glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.

Beloved, do not be surprised that a trial by fire is occurring among you, as if something strange were happening to you. But rejoice to the extent that you share in the sufferings of Christ,

so that when his glory is revealedyou may also rejoice exultantly. 1 Peter 4:7

The Resistance Argument: Protecting the Church's Core Mission
Prelates who voice strong, public resistance to documents like Magnifica Humanitas often justify their stance through a specific ecclesial logic:
• Resisting Secularization: Traditionalist critics frequently argue that when the papacy focuses heavily on global policy issues—like regulating artificial intelligence, taxing Big Tech, or addressing climate change—it risks reducing the Catholic Church to a mere political NGO or a secular humanitarian agency.
• Prioritizing the Supernatural: From this viewpoint, a bishop’s primary canonical and spiritual duty is the salvation of souls and the defense of core dogma. They argue that public dissent on non-dogmatic, prudential matters is a necessary act of "filial correction" to keep the Church anchored in its supernatural mission rather than temporal geopolitics.

The Institutional Critique: Eoding Papal Authority and Unity
Conversely, canonists and theologians aligned with the Holy See argue that public, adversarial resistance directly undermines the visible unity of the Church:
• The Duty of Religious Submission: Canon 752 of the Code of Canon Law states that while not an assent of faith, a "religious submission of the intellect and will" (religiosum intellectus et voluntatis obsequium) is still required for teachings manifested by the supreme magisterium of the Pope.
• Scandal and Division: Critics argue that when high-profile prelates aggressively oppose a papal encyclical in the public square, it causes immense scandal among the faithful. By transforming pastoral guidance into a ideological battleground, this public defiance actively opposes Christ’s prayer for institutional and spiritual unity, fracturing the global flock into polarized political factions.

Ultimately, while canon law provides the technical space to debate the prudential applications of Magnifica Humanitas, the public manner in which this resistance plays out continues to severely strain the theological bonds of communion between dissenting bishops and the Bishop of Rome.