The Pope, American Politics, and the Battle for Tolkien’s Soul in the Twenty-First Century

Authors

• Kelsey A. Fuller-Shafer, Fairfield UniversityFollow

Abstract

This essay considers the contemporary ramifications of the use of Tolkien’s works and personhood in the political and cultural dialogues of the United States. Tolkien’s fiction was recently cited by Pope Leo XIV, the first pope from the United States, in his encyclical letter in May of 2026 reacting to artificial intelligence, in the same era that tech billionaires are selecting names for their AI companies from Tolkien’s legendarium. These actors find themselves not just in a dispute about ethical usage of AI, but also as commentators on and subjects to the growing political divide in the United States, and both the political left and right in the United States are competing for alignment with Tolkien’s ideas. Less a research paper and more an invitation for philosophical conversation, we might start to think about the role of Tolkien in American popular culture and consider why the pope might chose to singularly elevate him as a reactionary voice.

Recommended Citation

Fuller-Shafer, Kelsey A. (2026) "The Pope, American Politics, and the Battle for Tolkien’s Soul in the Twenty-First Century," Journal of Tolkien Research: Vol. 24: Iss. 2, Article 1.
Available at: https://scholar.valpo.edu/journaloftolkienresearch/vol24/iss2/1