Pope Francis decried the state of democracy and warned against “populists” during a short visit to Trieste in Italy’s northeast on Sunday. Pope warns populists as he prepares for his longest trip to Asia during his papacy.
“Democracy is not in good health in the world today,” Francis said during a speech at the city’s convention centre to close a national Catholic event.#PopeWarnsPopulists
Without naming any countries, the pope warned against “ideological temptations and populists” on the day that France holds the second round of a snap parliamentary vote that looks set to see the far-right National Rally (RN) party take the largest share of the vote.
“Ideologies are seductive. Some people compare them to the Pied Piper of Hamelin: they seduce but lead you to deny yourself,” he said in reference to the German fairytale.
“The culture of rejection creates a city where there is no place for the poor, the unborn, the fragile, the sick, children, women, the young,” he regretted, urging facilitation of social participation from childhood.
Ahead of last month’s European parliament elections, bishops in several countries also expressed concerns. Pope warns populists amid the rise of far-right parties in Italy, Hungary, and the Netherlands.
Francis also urged people to “move away from polarisations that impoverish” and hit out at “self-referential power”.
After Venice in April and Verona in May, the half-day trip to Trieste, a city of 200,000 inhabitants on the Adriatic Sea that borders Slovenia, marked the third one within Italy this year for the 87-year-old pontiff. #PopeWarnsPopulists
Since travelling to the French city of Marseille in September 2023, the Argentine Jesuit has limited himself to domestic travel.
