As Pope Francis arrived in the birthplace of democracy on Dec. 4, he immediately sounded the alarm that democracy is under threat across the globe, as authoritarian leaders fuelled by populist and nationalistic interests are on the rise.
“Today, and not only in Europe, we are witnessing a retreat from democracy,” the pope said, warning that the common bonds of society are being severed by an increasing scepticism of institutions, hyper-individualism and partisanship — all heightened by social media that deepens divisions.
As he addressed Greece’s political leaders on Saturday, just over a mile from Athens’ iconic Parthenon, Francis kicked off his three-day visit to the nation by effectively offering a history lesson in the country’s democra-tic tradition and seeking to call Europe back to those roots.
“Democracy requires parti-cipation and involvement on the part of all. Consequently, it de-mands hard work and patience,” he said. “It is complex, whereas authoritarianism is peremptory and populism’s easy answers appear attractive.”
Over the last decade, Greece has been roiled by a severe financial crisis that plunged the country into political chaos, giving rise to both right-wing and left-wing populist move-ments that destabilized the country’s economy and nearly decimated its social programs.
In a spirited address that referenced the turmoil of recent years and one that was peppered with references to Greek philoso-phy and literature, the pope lamented how far the Western world has drifted from its heri-tage of a politics built around the common good.