Overview
- The Vatican published the message Tuesday during the pope’s four-country Africa trip, stating that democracy stays healthy only when rooted in moral law.
- He cautioned that without that moral foundation, democracies can slide into “majoritarian tyranny” or control by economic and technology elites.
- He said power exists for the common good and that authority gains legitimacy through wisdom and virtue rather than wealth or technical might.
- He called for renewed international cooperation and institutions guided by subsidiarity, arguing that a just order cannot rest on power balances or technocratic logic.
- The letter did not name the U.S., yet its release came two days after President Trump attacked him online, and Leo told Reuters he will keep criticizing the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran.