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Pope deplores state of democracy, warns against 'populists'

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  • Pope deplores state of democracy, warns against 'populists'
  • July 7, 2024
  • Article Body Text Vatican City — <p>Pope Francis decried the state of democracy and warned against &quot;populists&quot; during a short visit to Trieste in Italy's northeast on Sunday ahead of a 12-day trip to Asia -- the longest of his papacy.</p> <p>&quot;Democracy is not in good health in the world today,&quot; Francis said during a speech at the city's convention center to close a national Catholic event.</p> <p>Without naming any countries, the pope warned against &quot;ideological temptations and populists&quot; on the day that France holds the second round of a snap parliamentary vote that looks set to see the far-right National Rally party take the largest share of the vote.</p> <p>&quot;Ideologies are seductive. Some people compare them to the Pied Piper of Hamelin: they seduce but lead you to deny yourself,&quot; he said in reference to the German fairytale.</p> <p>Ahead of last month's European parliament elections, 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.</p> <p>Francis also urged people to &quot;move away from polarizations that impoverish&quot; and hit out at &quot;self-referential power.&quot;</p> <p>After Venice in April and Verona in May, the half-day trip to Trieste, a city of 200,000 inhabitants on the Adriatic Sea that borders Slovenia, marked the third one within Italy this year for the 87-year-old pontiff, who has suffered increasing health problems in recent years.</p> <p>Since travelling to the French city of Marseille in September 2023, the Argentine Jesuit has limited himself to domestic travel.</p> <p>But he plans to spend nearly two weeks in Asia in September visiting Indonesia, Singapore and the islands of Papua New Guinea and East Timor.</p> <p>He arrived in Trieste shortly before 9 a.m. and was due to meet with various groups from the religious and academic spheres, along with migrants and the disabled.</p> <p>The papal visit is due to conclude with a Mass in the city's main public square before he departs for the Vatican in the early afternoon. </p>
  • Content Type Text
  • Language English
  • NewsML Media Topics Arts, Culture, Entertainment and Media
  • Subtitles / Dubbing Available No
  • Network VOA
  • Embargo Date July 7, 2024 06:04 EDT
  • Byline Agence France-Presse
  • Brand / Language Service Voice of America - English
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