Pope warns democracy can turn into ‘tyranny of the majority’

Pope Leo XIV warned that democracy can degenerate into a “tyranny of the majority” without a strong moral foundation, in a message to a Vatican assembly reported by Deutsche Welle.

He said political systems remain устойчивыми only when grounded in ethics, otherwise they risk becoming a cover for domination by economic and technological elites.

“Legitimacy is determined not by the scale of resources, but by how power is exercised… by the wisdom and virtue of the actors,” the pontiff said, adding that the accumulation of economic or technological power alone does not justify governance.

He called on world leaders to avoid excessive concentration of power, saying restraint is a key safeguard against abuse.

The message was published during the pope’s 10-day trip to Africa and did not mention any specific countries.

The pope had ранее criticised U.S. and Israeli military actions against Iran, drawing criticism from U.S. President Donald Trump.