VATICAN CITY (Reuters) – Mature democracies must avoid the temptation to glorify an individual political personality and ensure that the rule of law prevails over party interests, Pope Francis said on Monday.
Without naming any specific country or incident in his speech to diplomats, he spoke of events in the past year “in countries with a long democratic tradition” that have shown the need for “inclusive, peaceful, constructive and respectful dialogue”.
“The development of a democratic conscience requires that the emphasis on individual personalities be overcome and that respect for the rule of law prevails,” he said, without naming any individual politician.
“In effect, the law is an indispensable prerequisite for the exercise of all power and must be guaranteed by the responsible government bodies, regardless of dominant political interests,” he said.
In recent years, we have seen an increase in populist politicians in the United States, Latin America and some European countries.
Democracy requires the search for “an inclusive, peaceful, constructive and respectful dialogue between all components of civil society in each city and nation,” said the pope.
Francisco made his comments in a long speech at his annual meeting with diplomats accredited to the Vatican, which maintains relations with more than 180 countries.
Reporting by Philip Pullella; Editing by Alison Williams