In a message to participants in the
Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences plenary session this week, Pope Leo XIV
insists that 'democracy remains healthy only when rooted in the moral law' and
warns 'the concentration of technological, economic and military power in a few
hands threatens both democratic participation among peoples and international
concord.'
Léon XIV: «La démocratie ne reste saine que lorsqu’elle est enracinée dans la loi morale»
By Deborah Castellano Lubov
"Democracy remains healthy, however, only when
rooted in the moral law and a true vision of the human person. Lacking this
foundation, it risks becoming either a majoritarian tyranny or a mask for the
dominance of economic and technological elites."
Pope Leo expressed this in the letter he sent to
participants in the Plenary Session of the Pontifical Academy of Social
Sciences, 14-16 April 2026. The plenary is on the theme: “The Uses of
Power: Legitimacy, Democracy and the Rewriting of the International Order,”
which the Pope called a particularly timely topic that needs to be
properly understood to build peace within and among nations.
READ POPE LEO XIV'S
FULL MESSAGE English - Italiano - Polski
Power ought to be ordered toward the common good
In his letter, the Holy Father stressed that Catholic
social teaching regards power not as an end in itself, but as a means ordered
toward the common good. This implies that the legitimacy of authority depends
not on the accumulation of economic or technological strength, but on the
wisdom and virtue with which it is exercised.
He reminded the participants that wisdom enables us to
discern and pursue the true and the good, rather than apparent goods and
vainglory, amid the circumstances of daily life, and that wisdom "is
inseparable from the moral virtues, which strengthen our desire to promote the
common good."
"In particular," he noted, "we know
that justice and fortitude are indispensable for sound decision-making and for
putting decisions into practice. Temperance also proves essential for the
legitimate use of authority, for true temperance restrains inordinate
self-exaltation and acts as a guardrail against the abuse of power."
This understanding of legitimate power, Pope Leo said,
finds one of its highest expressions in authentic democracy.
"Far from being a mere procedure, democracy
recognises the dignity of every person and calls each citizen to participate
responsibly in the pursuit of the common good."
Criteria for a healthy democracy
He recalled that Pope Saint John Paul II reflected
this conviction when he affirmed that the Church values democracy because it
ensures participation in political choices and “the possibility both of
electing and holding accountable those who govern them, and of replacing them
through peaceful means when appropriate.”
Yet, the Pope stressed that democracy remains healthy
only when rooted in the moral law and a true vision of the human person. When
this isn't the case, he cautioned, it risks becoming either "a
majoritarian tyranny or a mask for the dominance of economic and technological
elites."
The Holy Father also recalled that the same principles
that guide the exercise of authority within nations must likewise inform the
international order.
He said this is particularly important to recall at a
time when strategic rivalries and shifting alliances are reshaping global
relations. "We must recall," he said, "that a just and stable
international order cannot emerge from the mere balance of power or from a
purely technocratic logic."
Threats to democratic participation and international
concord
"The concentration of technological, economic and
military power in a few hands," the Pope warned, "threatens both
democratic participation among peoples and international concord."
Pope Leo recalled that his predecessors expressed the
need for updated institutions and a universal authority, marked by the
principle of subsidiarity, as he emphasized how it is “more than ever
necessary to boldly rethink the modalities of international cooperation.”
He pointed out that when earthly powers threaten
the tranquillitas ordinis, the classic Augustinian definition
of peace, "we must draw hope from the Kingdom of God, which, though not of
this world, sheds light upon the affairs of this world and reveals their
eschatological meaning."
In this perspective of faith, he reminded, "we
are reminded that God’s omnipotence is shown especially in mercy and
forgiveness; divine power does not dominate, but rather heals and
restores."
Logic of charity must animate history
With this in mind, the Pope stressed that "it is
precisely this logic of charity that must animate history, for human activity
inspired by charity helps to shape the “earthly city” in unity and peace,
rendering it — however imperfectly — an anticipation and a prefiguration of the
“City of God.”
Such faith, the Holy Father encouraged,
"strengthens our resolve to build a culture of reconciliation capable of
overcoming the pitfalls of indifference and powerlessness."
With these sentiments, the Pope expressed his hope
that their reflections "will yield valuable insights for clarifying the
legitimate uses of power, the criteria of authentic democracy and the kind of
international order that serves the common good."
In this way, he said their work will "contribute
meaningfully to the building of a global culture of reconciliation and peace —
a peace that is not merely the fragile absence of conflict, but the fruit of
justice, born of authority placed humbly at the service of every human being
and the entire human family."
Finally, Pope Leo concluded by praying the Holy Spirit
enlighten their minds and sustain their efforts.
