Is Peter Thiel the target of Pope Leo's Gandalf quote? An investigation.
Pope Leo's recent encyclical includes a quote from Gandalf, which has sparked speculation about its implications for Peter Thiel. The connection is intriguing given Thiel's prominence in conservative tech circles and his admiration for J.R.R. Tolkien. The encyclical emphasizes the importance of small acts of fidelity against dehumanization, which resonates with Thiel's controversial views on technology and society.
- ▪Pope Leo's encyclical quotes Gandalf from Tolkien's 'Return of the King'.
- ▪Peter Thiel is a well-known fan of Tolkien and has named several of his companies after Tolkien's works.
- ▪Thiel has been promoting a unique interpretation of Christianity and has expressed concerns about the Antichrist.
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| Canonical URL | https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2026/05/is-peter-thiel-the-target-of-pope-leos-gandalf-quote-an-investigation/ |
| Publication time | Tue, 26 May 2026 22:27:32 +0000 |
| Retrieval time | 2026-05-26T22:32:54.705Z |
| Last seen | 2026-05-26T22:42:29.288Z |
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Gandalf means me Is Peter Thiel the target of Pope Leo’s Gandalf quote? An investigation.var abtest_2156382 = new ABTest(2156382, 'click'); Parsing a papal proclamation. Nate Anderson – May 26, 2026 6:27 pm | 0 Credit: Getty Images Credit: Getty Images Text settings Story text Size Small Standard Large Width * Standard Wide Links Standard Orange * Subscribers only Learn more Minimize to nav I’m not suggesting that a man like Pope Leo—the Vicar of Christ, the Bishop of Rome, the Servant of the Servants of God—would stoop to anything quite so base as “trolling” the onetime PayPal co-founder and current Antichrist alarmist Peter Thiel. But I’m also not not suggesting it, if you see what I mean.
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