Pope Leo issues warning on democracy after Trump criticism

Pope Leo warned of the risk of democracies ​sliding into “majoritarian tyranny” on Tuesday (April 14, 2026), in a letter issued ‌by the Vatican two days after ​U.S. President Donald Trump attacked the pontiff ⁠on social media.

The first U.S. pope, writing to participants of a Vatican meeting about the use of ‌power in democratic societies, said democracies remained healthy only when they were rooted ‌in moral values. “Lacking this foundation, [democracy] risks becoming ‌either a ⁠majoritarian tyranny or a mask ⁠for the dominance of economic and technological elites,” said Pope in the letter.