Pope criticizes populists and warns of the dangers to democracy
On Sunday, Pope Francis warned that democracy was not in good shape in many areas of the world and decried populist politics and what he called “the dross of ideology”.
The 87-year-old pope made a quick trip to the northeastern city of Trieste. This was his fourth trip inside Italy in less than two months, as he got ready for his longest trip as pope, a 12-day trek across Asia in September.
Speaking at a yearly social affairs meeting for Roman Catholics, Francis expressed how many people felt left out of democracy, leaving the weak and impoverished to fend for themselves.
“It’s clear that democracy is not doing well in the modern world,” he declared, criticizing partisanship and polarization.
“Ideologies captivate us. They are likened by some to Hamelin’s Pied Piper. He alluded to a fairy tale in which a rat catcher uses his magical abilities to kidnap the children of a town, saying, “They seduce you, but they lead you to deny yourself.”
Although he did not provide any particular examples, he said that the “crisis of democracy” affected many countries.
A month after populist parties made advances in European Union elections, the pope was speaking on the eve of France’s legislative run-off election, in which the far-right National Rally (RN) is predicted to garner the largest proportion of the vote.
“Let’s resist being duped by simple fixes. The pope emphasized the harm brought about by political “corruption and illegality” on Sunday, saying, “Let us instead be passionate about the common good.”
Emphasizing the need of instilling democratic principles in children, the pope—who holds ultimate monarchical authority over the tiny state of Vatican City—warned that “indifference is a cancer of democracy.”
“I find it concerning that so few individuals cast ballots. “Why is it occurring?” he enquired.
Later, during an outdoor Mass, the pope criticized the general lack of concern about social injustice in his sermon.
“Why do we not find widespread wickedness, life becoming degraded, labor disputes, and the suffering of migrants shocking? He questioned, “Why do we still have no empathy or compassion for the injustices in the world?
The half-day trip to Trieste came after similar visits to Venice and Verona in April and May, as well as a presentation to the leaders of the Group of Seven in southern Italy in June. These excursions put his endurance to the test following a year of recurring illnesses that at times required him to reduce his activity.
The pope, as is usually customary, mostly used a wheelchair to get around and made an excellent impression. He is scheduled to travel more than 32,000 kilometers (19,900 miles) in September, taking him via Singapore, Timor-leste, commonly known as East Timor, Indonesia, and Papua New Guinea.
