Dec. 12 (UPI) — Pope Leo XIV urged Italy’s intelligence officials on Friday to ground national security in ethical principles and cautioned that efforts to preserve peace must not trump human dignity or truth.
The U.S.-born pope marked the centenary of Italy’s Security Intelligence System and noted the nation’s first coordinated intelligence service launched in 1925 established the “foundations for building a more effective and coordinated system, aimed at safeguarding the security of the state.”
He added in remarks that, about a century later, tools and capabilities may have advanced dramatically, but responsibilities and moral risks of such intelligence work have grown.
On Friday, Leo told assembled intelligence professionals visiting the Vatican they bear a “serious responsibility” of “constantly monitoring the dangers that may threaten the life of the nation, in order above all to contribute to the protection of peace.”
He praised sometimes ignored efforts to foresee a crisis before it arises but cautioned that discretion risks misuse without ethics.
The pope stressed that professionalism required “respect for the dignity of the human person.”
“Security activity must never lose sight of this foundational dimension and must never fail to respect the dignity and rights of each individual,” he said.
He urged ethical restraint in gathering intelligence and warned that a sense of urgent common good cannot justify ignoring limits on individual rights.
National security, he added, must never arrive at the expense of individual rights, including “private and family life, freedom of conscience and information and the right to a fair trial.”
The Catholic Church leader underscored the need for strong ethical standards in modern day communication, and cautioned in an era run by constant and instant connection that misinformation, manipulation and exploitation of vulnerable people was a growing threat.
He further warned that confidential information must never be deployed to intimidate, manipulate, blackmail or discredit public officials, journalists or other groups.
In addition, Leo urged attendees to pursue their profession with balance and discernment that prioritizes the common good while staying “firmly anchored to those legal and ethical principles that place the dignity of the human person above all else.”
