VATICAN CITY (Reuters) – Mature democracies must avoid the temptation to glorify an individual political figure and ensure that the rule of law prevails over partisan interests, Pope Francis said on Monday.
Without naming any specific country or incident in his speech to diplomats, he spoke of last year’s events “in countries with a long democratic tradition” that had shown the need for an “inclusive, peaceful, constructive and respectful dialogue”.
“The development of a democratic consciousness requires overcoming the emphasis on individual personalities and respecting the rule of law,” he said, without naming any individual politicians.
“Indeed, the law is an indispensable condition for the exercise of full power and must be guaranteed by the responsible governing bodies, regardless of the dominant political interests,” he said.
The last few years have seen the rise of populist politicians in the United States, Latin America and some European countries.
Democracy calls for “inclusive, peaceful, constructive and respectful dialogue between all components of civil society in every city and nation,” the pope said.
Francis made the remarks in a lengthy speech at his annual meeting with diplomats accredited to the Vatican, which has relations with more than 180 countries.
Reporting by Philip Pullella; Montage by Alison Williams