The proposal in the lecture
Cardinal Robert McElroy called for a social contract for the digital world in his September 26 Thomas Verner Moore lecture at St. Anselm’s Abbey School in Washington. The published text argues that decisions about AI should involve a wider public than its builders alone, including workers, religious communities, universities and people facing disadvantage. It applies Catholic social teaching to technology’s benefits, power and potential harms.
The text is available through Catholic Standard, which also reported on the address. It establishes the cardinal’s proposal, not the adoption of an international agreement. This account focuses on participation and responsibility; it does not independently verify every technical incident or projection mentioned in the lecture. Read the address: Source: cathstan.org
The difference between consultation and influence
The proposal raises a practical question for religious institutions: what should their participation accomplish? An invitation to speak can be worthwhile, but readers need to distinguish access to a meeting from influence over a decision. A meaningful process would explain which questions remain open, who can challenge an answer and how competing interests are considered.
For example, a hypothetical community discussion about an AI service could invite both its provider and people expected to rely on it. Participants could ask for a clear account of limitations and a usable complaints route. The important outcome would be a decision people can examine, not simply a photograph showing religious and technology leaders together.
There is also a limit to religious expertise. A theological argument about dignity does not establish whether a particular system is secure. Equally, technical competence does not settle whose interests should receive priority. Good consultation makes these different forms of knowledge available to one another without pretending they are interchangeable.
Christian perspective: concern for the whole body
The lecture speaks from Catholic social teaching; it should not be treated as the formal position of every Christian denomination. Christians in other traditions can still engage its question about participation. In 1 Corinthians 12:21–26, Paul rejects dismissing members of Christ’s body and calls for shared concern, including for those given less honor. Read the passage in NIV: 1 Corinthians 12:21-26 (NIV)
The passage concerns the church, not a specific governance system. Its application here is a challenge to Christian practice: are less powerful people heard before decisions are made in their name? A congregation can begin locally by involving those affected by its own technology choices and explaining what changed because they were consulted.