Pope Leo Speaks Out on Democracy Following Trump Criticism

ANNABA, Algeria — Pope Leo warned Tuesday that democracies risk sliding into “majoritarian tyranny” or becoming a mask for elite dominance, in a letter issued two days after US President Donald Trump attacked the pontiff on social media.

Writing to participants of a Vatican meeting on the use of power in democratic societies, the pope said democracies remain healthy only when rooted in moral values. “Lacking this foundation, it risks becoming either a majoritarian tyranny or a mask for the dominance of economic and technological elites,” he wrote.

The letter, released as the pope toured four African countries, did not name the US or any specific democracy. Trump had sharply criticized Leo as “terrible” after the pope emerged as a growing critic of the US-Israeli war on Iran.

Leo urged leaders to avoid hoarding power, stating that temperance “restrains inordinate self-exaltation and acts as a guardrail against the abuse of power.” He added that the legitimacy of authority depends not on economic or technological strength but on “the wisdom and virtue with which it is exercised.”

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