IRVING, Texas (Oct. 21, 2025) — As artificial intelligence reshapes the nature of work and raises questions about ethical and moral implications in society, scholars at the University of Dallas are returning to the roots of Catholic social teaching for guidance. This month’s “Pope St. John Paul II Conference on Pope Leo XIII” will explore how the Catholic Church’s first systematic response to industrial modernity—articulated in Rerum Novarum (1891)—offers enduring insights for today’s technological age.
Hosted and organized by UDallas’ St. John Paul II Fellow Dr. Ryan Anderson, the conference will take place Oct. 29-30 in SB Hall on the university’s Irving campus. Anderson also serves as the president of the Ethics and Public Policy Center based in Washington, D.C.
Leading scholars and public intellectuals will gather to examine Pope Leo XIII’s vision of human dignity, labor and freedom in light of modern challenges—from shifting family structures to the rise of artificial intelligence.
UDallas President Jonathan J. Sanford, Ph.D., said: “As a university rooted in the Catholic intellectual tradition, we seek to engage the questions that most affect humanity, society and the common good. This conference reflects our conviction that faith and reason together illuminate even the most complex frontiers of technology, science and society.”
Conference Schedule
Wednesday, Oct. 29 – 7 p.m.
Keynote Address: “Popes Leo XIII & XIV, Catholic Social Thought and the Challenges of Modernity” by Dr. Scott Roniger, Associate Professor of Philosophy and Director of the Lonergan Center for Catholic Faith and Culture, Loyola Marymount University. A reception will follow.
Thursday, Oct. 30 – Panel Discussions:
1 p.m. Church, State, and Religious Liberty
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- Dr. Christopher Wolfe, President Emeritus, Dallas Forum for Law, Politics, and Culture
- Dr. Gerard Bradley, Professor of Law Emeritus, Notre Dame Law School; Director, Natural Law Institute
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2:30 p.m. — Marriage and Sexuality
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- Dr. Matthew Walz, Associate Professor of Philosophy, University of Dallas; St. John Henry Newman Visiting Chair in Catholic Studies, Thomas More College
- Mary Rice Hasson, J.D., Kate O’Beirne Senior Fellow, Ethics and Public Policy Center
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4 p.m. — Artificial Intelligence and Catholic Social Teaching
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- Fr. Michael Baggot, L.C., S.T.L., Ph.D., Professor Aggregato of Bioethics, Pontifical Athenaeum Regina Apostolorum
- Dr. Erick Chastain, Assistant Professor of Computer Science, University of Dallas
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The conference is free and open to the public, although seating is limited.
Event details and registration: https://calendar.udallas.edu/event/pope-st-john-paul-ii-conference-on-pope-leo-xiii
