Pope says democracy ‘not in good health’ as he warns against populists

Pope Francis has decried the state of democracy and warned against “populists” during a short visit to Trieste in northeast Italy.

Speaking at an annual Roman Catholic Church convention on social affairs on Sunday, Francis noted that many people felt excluded from democracy, with the poor and the weak left to fend for themselves.

“It is evident that democracy is not in good health in today’s world,” he said, denouncing polarisation and partisanship.

“Ideologies are seductive. Some people compare them to the Pied Piper of Hamelin. They seduce you, but they lead you to deny yourself,” he said, referring to a fairy tale where a rat catcher uses his magic powers to steal away a town’s children.

He said the “crisis of democracy” afflicted various nations, but did not give any specific examples.

Ahead of last month’s European Parliament elections, Catholic bishops in several countries also warned about the rise of populism and nationalism, with far-right parties already holding the reins to power in Italy, Hungary and the Netherlands.

The pope’s speech came on the day France holds a parliamentary run-off election, with the far-right National Rally (RN) expected to take the biggest share of the vote, a month after populist parties scored gains in European Union elections.