Magnifica Humanitas proposes a kind of "hobbit theology," a patient and humble working toward good even against great odds.
When the Pope’s new encyclical, Magnifica Humanitas, was first released May 15, there was a lot of buzz about his stance on AI, his metaphor of “rebuilding Jerusalem,” and his choice to quote Catholic author J.R.R. Tolkien.
Let’s take a closer look at that now-famous Tolkien reference. Why did the Pope include it? And what is the quotation’s deeper meaning?
Whatever good you do is worth it
The Pope’s encyclical centers on the contrast between two stories from Scripture:
Leo XIV opens with two biblical images: the Tower of Babel and the rebuilding of Jerusalem under Nehemiah. One is a project of pride and uniformity; the other is slow, communal, and rooted in God. The whole encyclical flows from this choice. Are we building Babel — efficient, powerful, dehumanizing — or Jerusalem, brick by patient brick?
Again and again, his writing returns to the theme of “rebuilding Jerusalem” through the small and humble actions of people of goodwill, all around the world.
Fighting the temptation to despair
But what if we start to think we are too small and helpless to “rebuild Jerusalem”? Pope Leo warns against falling into this trap, writing, “... A subtle temptation may emerge, namely the thought that the problems are too big and we are too small, and that our choices, therefore, cannot make a difference.”
It is in this section on “building a civilization of love” that he quotes Tolkien — and the significance is extraordinary, because Pope Leo’s message is exactly that of the entire Lord of the Rings epic.
Dr. Holly Ordway, author of Tolkien’s Faith: A Spiritual Biography and Cardinal Francis George Professor of Faith and Culture at the Word on Fire Institute, told Aleteia:
The Pope’s message touches on the profound theme of humility in Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings (LOTR).
The hobbits are the most humble and simple of all the peoples of Middle-earth: they are not powerful warriors like Aragorn or Boromir, not wise like Gandalf or Elrond, but they are the ones who ultimately bring about the defeat of Sauron.
This humility is not, in the words of Pope Leo, "a single or spectacular gesture,” but rather "the sum total of small and steadfast acts of fidelity that serve as a bulwark against dehumanization.”
In his letters, Tolkien said the story was “planned to be ‘hobbito-centric’, that is, primarily a study of the ennoblement (or sanctification) of the humble.” His approach mirrors the Gospel message. Ordway said:
It’s no coincidence that Tolkien had such high regard for the Magnificat, in which Mary declares of God that “He hath regarded the humility of his handmaid. . . He hath scattered the proud in the imagination of their heart. He hath put down the mighty from their seat, and hath exalted the humble.”
The beautiful humility of Frodo and Sam stands in contrast to the suicidal despair of Denethor or the pragmatic acquiescence to evil of Saruman, who illustrate Pope Leo’s point that resignation is "often disguised as realism.”
The hobbit heroes of The Lord of the Rings help readers see that humility is powerful; that it is a real virtue, and that it is one that each of us can practice, and this resonates deeply with what the pope is teaching.
Thus Magnifica Humanitas proposes a kind of "hobbit theology," a patient and humble working toward good even when the odds seem insurmountable.
Gandalf’s posture of hope
In this context, Pope Leo’s quoting of a LOTR hero makes all the sense in the world.
Gandalf speaks these words to the leaders of the West as they feel hopeless about their ability to defeat the powerful forces arrayed against them, saying:
It is not our part to master all the tides of the world, but to do what is in us for the succour of those years wherein we are set, uprooting the evil in the fields that we know, so that those who live after may have clean earth to till.
Tolkien, through Gandalf, reminds us that goodness is worth fighting for, even when victory looks all but impossible.
In this same way, Pope Leo writes, “The civilization of love will not arise from a single or spectacular gesture, but from the sum total of small and steadfast acts of fidelity that serve as a bulwark against dehumanization.”
He encouraged each person reading to pause and “reflect on some aspects of how we, each in our own way, can cooperate in building the civilization of love.”
When a reporter asked about his inclusion of Tolkien, Pope Leo said, "He’s a fascinating figure that reaches out to people far beyond just the Catholic Church, so it’s a way of using culture, literature, art, for a voice."
Humility in action
Tolkien himself lived this message throughout his life — an ordinary and simple life as a university professor, husband, and father of four, who was nowhere near as well-known and popular during his life as he is now.
Yet in his own way, like the heroes he imagined, he left behind him “clean earth to till.” Ordway said, “He would have been the first to recognize that he was not perfect, but I believe that he genuinely worked for, and to a great extent succeeded, in doing his bit for what Pope Leo calls ‘the civilization of love.’”
How would Tolkien have felt if he knew his fantasy writings were now included in a papal encyclical and part of the body of works that make up Catholic Social Teaching? Said Ordway, “I believe he would have been deeply honored.”
