Pope Leo warns of "majoritarian tyranny" in democracies after clash with Trump
The pontiff urges moral limits on power amid escalating tensions with the US president.
Pope Leo XIV has warned that democracies risk sliding into "majoritarian tyranny" if they lose their moral foundations, in remarks that come shortly after a public clash with Donald Trump.
In a letter released by the Vatican, the pope said "lacking this foundation, (democracy) risks becoming either a majoritarian tyranny or a mask for the dominance of economic and technological elites."
Although he did not directly mention the United States or Trump, the timing of the statement follows days of escalating tensions.
As Pope Leo states:
Lacking this foundation, (democracy) risks becoming either a majoritarian tyranny or a mask for the dominance of economic and technological elites.
This implies that the legitimacy of authority depends not on the accumulation of economic or technological strength, but on the wisdom and virtue with which it is exercised.
Temperance ... proves essential for the legitimate use of authority, for true temperance restrains inordinate self-exaltation and acts as a guardrail against the abuse of power.
