Power can be as dangerous as gin warns Pope

Pope Francis I warned of the dangers of power with an analogy to drinking on an empty stomach during a TED Talk earlier this week.

The annual Technology, Entertainment, Design (TED) conference was held in Vancouver this week and featured a surprise video appearance from the head of the Roman Catholic Church on the evening of the 24^th.

Pope Francis spoke of the need for a “revolution of tenderness” and said that world leaders should remember humility lest power lead to their (and others’) ruin.

Speaking in Italian he said: “Tenderness is the path of choice for the strongest, most courageous men and women. Tenderness is not weakness; it is fortitude. It is the path of solidarity, the path of humility.

“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 responsible you are to act humbly. If you don’t, your power will ruin you, and you will ruin the other.”

He recalled a saying from his native Argentina that: ‘Power is like drinking gin on an empty stomach.’

“You feel dizzy, you get drunk, you lose your balance, and you will end up hurting yourself and those around you, if you don’t connect your power with humility and tenderness,” continued the pontiff.

“Through humility and concrete love, on the other hand, power – the highest, the strongest one – becomes a service, a force for good.”