Pope Leo issued a cautionary message on Tuesday about the dangers democracies face when they lose their moral foundation, warning they could devolve into “majoritarian tyranny.” This statement came in a letter released by the Vatican just two days after former US President Donald Trump publicly criticized the pontiff on social media.
Addressing participants of a Vatican conference focused on the exercise of power within democratic societies, the first US-born pope emphasized that healthy democracies must be grounded in ethical principles. Without such a foundation, he explained, democracy risks becoming either a form of majority oppression or a facade for the control exerted by economic and technological elites.
Although the letter did not explicitly mention the United States or any particular democracy, it was issued while Pope Leo was engaged in an extensive 10-day tour across four African nations. Trump had labeled the pope as “terrible” on Sunday evening following Leo’s recent outspoken criticism of the US-Israeli conflict involving Iran. Despite Trump’s remarks, the pope reaffirmed on Monday his intention to continue speaking out against the war.
In his letter, Pope Leo reiterated the Catholic Church’s teaching that power should not be viewed as an end in itself but rather as a tool aimed at promoting the common good. He stressed that the legitimacy of authority depends not on amassing economic or technological power but on the wisdom and virtue with which it is exercised.
Furthermore, the pope urged democratic leaders to resist the temptation to concentrate power excessively. He highlighted the importance of temperance, describing it as essential for the rightful use of authority. True temperance, he noted, curbs excessive self-aggrandizement and serves as a safeguard against the misuse of power.
