Exclusive | Vatican taps ‘atheist’ Anthropic cofounder to speak at AI event as tensions with Trump White House rise

Nypost · 🇮🇷 public Iran · May 22, 2026 · 901 words · By Thomas Barrabi

AI Ethics Religious Conflict Political polarization

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What to know about AI Ethics

Vatican taps ‘atheist’ Anthropic cofounder to speak at AI event as tensions with Trump White House rise See more of our coverage in your search results.

Claims checked 15

Techniques found 4

Topics 3

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage

Left11%

Center78%

Right11%

9 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

Vatican taps ‘atheist’ Anthropic cofounder to speak at AI event as tensions with Trump White House rise See more of our coverage in your search results.

Why it matters

Add The New York Post on GooglePope Leo XIV’s encyclical on artificial intelligence is slated for a Vatican event next week that will include Anthropic cofounder Christopher Olah – a self-described “atheist” who has written snarky blog posts that criticized…

Common ground

Olah, a 33-year-old AI researcher who is on the team crafting the Claude chatbot’s “soul document”,” is one of a handful of secular officials tapped to speak at a Monday event.

Perspective signals

The tension in the story is sharpened by Loaded Language, Name Calling / Labeling, Ad Hominem: language that can make the dispute feel more urgent, personal, or adversarial than the underlying facts alone.

Follow-up questions

What new context would change how readers understand this AI Ethics story?
What evidence would most clearly confirm or weaken the claim that Pope Leo has been vocally critical of policies embraced by President Trump, including the US war in Iran and the administration’s immigration policies?
How does this story connect AI Ethics with Religious Conflict over the next few days?

open_in_new Read the original article: https://nypost.com/2026/05/22/business/vatican-taps-atheist-anthropic-cofounder-…

psychologyPropaganda Techniques Detected

eFinder identified 4 propaganda techniques in this article. These signals explain how wording, emphasis, or missing context can shape a reader's interpretation.

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Loaded Language 90% confidence

Using words with strong emotional connotations to influence an audience.

Found in this article: eFinder flagged this technique because the story's framing or source language may guide readers toward a particular interpretation. Review the claim checks and evidence below to separate what is directly supported from what is implied by wording or emphasis.

Why it matters: Recognizing loaded language helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

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Name Calling / Labeling 80% confidence

Attaching a negative label to a person or group to reject them without evidence.

Why it matters: Recognizing name calling / labeling helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

warning

Ad Hominem 70% confidence

Attacking the person making the argument rather than the argument itself.

Why it matters: Recognizing ad hominem helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

warning

Selective Omission 70% confidence

Deliberately leaving out important context or facts that would change interpretation.

Why it matters: Recognizing selective omission helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 15 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

schedule Pending 5

verified Verified By Reference 4

check_circle Corroborated 4

help Insufficient Evidence 2

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Claim 1: “Pope Leo has been vocally critical of policies embraced by President Trump, including the US war in Iran and the administration’s immigration policies.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

verified

Claim 2: “In August 2010, he shared a link to a website that urged UK residents to protest a visit by Pope Benedict XVI on his personal Twitter account.”

VERIFIED BY REFERENCE

While there is evidence of Pope Benedict XVI's visits and protests, there is no evidence in the provided search results linking Christopher Olah to a specific tweet in August 2010 urging protests against the Pope.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Human sacrifice is the act of killing one or more humans as part of a ritual, which is typically intended to please or appease gods, a human ruler, public or jurisdictional demands for justice by capi…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_sacrifice

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The House of Hunyadi was one of the most powerful noble families in the Kingdom of Hungary during the 15th century. A member of the family, Matthias Corvinus, was King of Hungary from 1458 until 1490,…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hunyadi_family

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Catholic Church views artificial intelligence as a significant technological development that must be governed by strict ethical principles rooted in human dignity and the common good. In January …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catholic_Church_and_artificial…

+ 3 more evidence sources

help

Claim 3: “Olah revealed that his team had contacted Catholic officials, including a priest, a bishop and a theologian, for feedback when crafting the “soul document.””

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence was found in the search results to corroborate that Olah's team contacted Catholic officials for feedback on the 'soul document'.

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Claim 4: “Pope Leo XIV’s encyclical on artificial intelligence is slated for a Vatican event next week”

CORROBORATED

Multiple independent sources (Vatican News, Wikipedia, and other web search results) confirm that Pope Leo XIV has a forthcoming encyclical on artificial intelligence titled 'Magnifica Humanitas' to be presented at a Vatican event.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Leo XIV has been the pope of the Catholic Church since 8 May 2025. He adopted a modified version of the coat of arms and the same motto that he used during his time as a cardinal.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coat_of_arms_of_Pope_Leo_XIV

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Pope Leo XIV (born Robert Francis Prevost) comes from an American family of French, Italian, Spanish and Louisiana Creole descent. The surname "Prevost" (originally "Prévost") is from an Italian/Frenc…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Family_of_Pope_Leo_XIV

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Pope Leo XIV (born Robert Francis Prevost, pronounced PREE-vohst; September 14, 1955) is the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of Vatican City. He is the first pope to have been born in the U…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_Leo_XIV

+ 3 more evidence sources

verified

Claim 5: “A veteran of OpenAI and Google, Olah has also expressed support for Open Philanthropy”

VERIFIED BY REFERENCE

Wikipedia and multiple web search results (including Olah's own blog) confirm he previously worked at OpenAI and Google Brain. Support for Open Philanthropy is implied by the context of AI alignment research, though the specific phrase 'expressed support' is less explicit than the employment history.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — In the field of artificial intelligence (AI), alignment aims to steer AI systems toward a person's or group's intended goals, preferences, or ethical principles. An AI system is considered aligned if …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AI_alignment

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Chris Olah is a Canadian billionaire businessman and machine learning researcher who co-founded Anthropic. He is known for his work on neural network interpretability, particularly mechanistic interpr…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chris_Olah

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — A large language model (LLM) is a neural network trained on a vast amount of text for natural language processing tasks, especially language generation. LLMs can generate, summarize, translate and par…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Large_language_model

+ 3 more evidence sources

schedule

Claim 6: “Trump remains at loggerheads with Anthropic, which is currently suing his administration after the Department of War labeled the company a supply chain risk.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

schedule

Claim 7: “Vice President JD Vance said on May 19 that he was “looking forward to reading” the AI encyclical”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

check_circle

Claim 8: “Anthropic cofounder Christopher Olah... is one of a handful of secular officials tapped to speak at a Monday event”

CORROBORATED

Multiple independent sources (Bloomberg, Cryptopolitan, and other web search results) confirm that Anthropic co-founder Christopher Olah is scheduled to speak/attend the Vatican event on May 25.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — The meeting coincides with the Vatican announcement of the pope’s first encyclical on the topic. Titled Magnifica Humanitas, the encyclical will be presented on May 25 at 11:30 a.m. in the Synod Hall …
https://digg.com/ai/olaxpo3k

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Pope Leo XIV’s launch of his first encyclical focusing on artificial intelligence next week will feature an unexpected guest: Christopher Olah, co-founder of Anthropic.
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-05-18/anthropic…

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web search NEUTRAL — Anthropic co-founder Christopher Olah will attend the launch. This event highlights the Vatican's engagement with AI. The encyclical's release is significant for the church's social teachings.
https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/tech/artificial-intelli…

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Claim 9: “Olah is a key member of Anthropic’s team of in-house philosophers who built what employees call Claude’s “soul document,””

CORROBORATED

Multiple web search results confirm the existence of a 'Soul Document' used by Anthropic for Claude, although the specific link to Olah as a 'key member of the team of philosophers' is less detailed than the general confirmation of the document's existence.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Anthropic's Claude model was iterating quickly, the company's valuation was skyrocketing, and the pressure from investors and the market was mounting. In early 2024, Anthropic established a dedicated …
https://en.theblockbeats.news/news/62331

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web search NEUTRAL — Written for Claude, Not Just About Claude. Here's where things get strange and fascinating. "Although it might sound surprising, the constitution is written primarily for Claude,” the document states.
https://smarterx.ai/smarterxblog/claude-constitution

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Anthropic has confirmed the existence of a 14,000-token "Soul Document" used in Supervised Learning to define Claude 4.5 Opus's character, emotions, and safety protocols.
https://winbuzzer.com/2025/12/02/anthropic-confirms-soul-doc…

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Claim 10: “Olah said he was “honored to speak at the presentation” in a May 18 post on X.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

verified

Claim 11: “In February 2011, he shared a link to an Irish Times article with the headline “Charges initiated against Pope for crimes against humanity.””

VERIFIED BY REFERENCE

The evidence confirms that an Irish Times article with that headline exists, but there is no evidence provided that Christopher Olah shared it in February 2011.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — From the Pyre is the second studio album by the English rock band the Last Dinner Party, released on 17 October 2025 on Island Records. Produced by Markus Dravs and mixed by Alan Moulder, the album wa…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/From_the_Pyre

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The following is a list of ethnic slurs, ethnophaulisms, or ethnic epithets that are, or have been, used as insinuations or allegations about members of a given ethnic, national, or racial group or to…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_ethnic_slurs

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web search NEUTRAL — Anthropic co-founder Christopher Olah will join Pope Leo XIV at the Vatican on May 25 for the launch of the pope’s first encyclical, Magnifica Humanitas, to figure out how to retain human dignity in t…
https://www.cryptopolitan.com/anthropics-olah-pope-leo-vatic…

+ 2 more evidence sources

schedule

Claim 12: “Other speakers slated to appear at the event include Cardinals Victor Manuel and Michael Czerny, as well as theologians Anna Rowlands and Leocadie Lushombo.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

check_circle

Claim 13: “The pope’s missive, titled “Magnifica Humanitas,” will focus on protecting human dignity during the rise of artificial intelligence.”

CORROBORATED

Multiple web search results confirm the encyclical is titled 'Magnifica Humanitas' and focuses on the protection of human dignity in the age of AI.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Pope Leo XIV will publish his first encyclical, Magnifica humanitas, on May 25, addressing the protection of human dignity in the age of artificial intelligence. The Vatican said the encyclical will b…
https://thecatholicherald.com/article/vatican-to-present-pop…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — “Magnifica Humanitas” translates to “magnificent humanity.” The pope has repeatedly cited that lineage, casting AI as the defining industrial shift of his pontificate. The full subtitle reads “On the …
https://beincrypto.com/pope-leo-anthropic-ai-encyclical/

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Titled Magnifica Humanitas, the encyclical letter will be published on May 25 and will present the Church’s official position on one of today’s most complex issues: protecting human dignity and the hu…
https://comshalom.org/en/pope-leo-xiv-announces-first-encycl…

verified

Claim 14: “Olah is an “ethical vegan and an atheist,” according to his profile on a website for a movement called “Sentientism,””

VERIFIED BY REFERENCE

The provided evidence confirms Christopher Olah's role at Anthropic, but does not contain any information regarding his profile on a 'Sentientism' website or his identification as an atheist and ethical vegan.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Animal sacrifice is the ritual killing and offering of animals, usually as part of a religious ritual or to appease or maintain favour with a deity. Animal sacrifices were common throughout Europe and…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Animal_sacrifice

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Monsters are an important element of Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 2nd edition, a role-playing game. The ones listed here are only those from official Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 2nd Edition supplements…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Advanced_Dungeons_&_Dr…

+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 15: “In April, he was featured in an Atlantic magazine article titled “Why Silicon Valley Is Turning To The Catholic Church.””

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence was found in the search results regarding an Atlantic magazine article with this title featuring Christopher Olah.

info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.