Pope Leon warned on Tuesday about the risk of democracies slipping into “majority tyranny”, in a letter issued by the Vatican two days after US President, Donald Trump, attacked the pontiff on social media, reports Reuters.
Addressing the participants at a meeting at the Vatican on the use of power in democratic societies, the first American pope stated that democracies remain healthy only when they are anchored in moral values.
“In the absence of this foundation, (democracy) risks becoming either a majority tyranny or a mask for the domination of economic and technological elites”, said Pope Leo the XIV in a letter, writes News.
The text, published while the pope is undertaking an ambitious 10-day tour in four African countries, did not directly address the United States and did not name any specific democracy.
Trump harshly criticized Leon, labeling him as “terrible,” Sunday evening, after the pope has stood out in recent weeks as an increasingly vehement critic of the US-Israel war against Iran.
Pope Leon declared on Monday to Reuters that he intends to continue criticizing the war, despite Trump’s comments.
In the letter from Tuesday, the Pope affirmed that the Catholic Church teaches that power cannot be viewed as an end in itself, “but as a means oriented towards the common good”.
“This implies that the legitimacy of authority does not depend on the accumulation of economic or technological power, but on the wisdom and virtue with which it is exercised”, said the sovereign pontiff.
The Pope also urged leaders in democratic societies to avoid any temptation to accumulate power.
“Moderation… proves to be essential for the legitimate exercise of authority, as true moderation limits excessive self-exaltation and acts as a protective barrier against the abuse of power,” he said.