Leaders must act humbly: Pope

Vancouver, April 26: Pope Francis made a surprise appearance at a TED talk conference on Wednesday, urging powerful leaders “to act humbly” and said he hoped technological innovation would not leave people behind.

Francis delivered a videotaped talk to a TED conference in Vancouver on “The Future You,” the first ever by a pope.

TED, short for Technology, Entertainment and Design, organises conferences around the world aiming to spread ideas through short talks.

The Vatican released the video on Wednesday. In it, Francis outlined his vision of the interconnectedness of humanity, saying that with age he has grown increasingly convinced that “none of us is an island.”

“Please allow me to say it loud and clear: The more powerful you are, the more your actions will have an impact on people, the more you are called to be humble,” he said. “If you don’t, your power will ruin you, and you will ruin others.”

Francis pleaded for greater solidarity to be considered in political, economic and scientific endeavors. “How wonderful would it be, while we discover faraway planets, to rediscover the needs of the brothers and sisters orbiting around us,” he said.

“How wonderful would it be if solidarity, this beautiful and sometimes inconvenient word, were not simply reduced to social work and became instead the default attitude in political, economic and scientific choices.”

Francis’ participation in the TED conference marked a new era for the Vatican’s communications operation. — PTI