Pope Francis says world's democracies 'not in good health'

Pope Francis on Sunday expressed concern about the state of the world's democracies at an event in the northern Italian city of Trieste.

"Let's be honest: in today's world, democracy is not in good health," said the head of the Catholic Church, while stressing the importance of participation in democratic processes, including voting. "Indifference is a cancer for democracy," he added.

Francis was speaking at the end of the Social Week of Italian Catholics, a week-long series of events focused on social issues. In front of a crowd of around 1,200 participants, he said: "Everyone must feel part of a community project. No one should feel useless."

The pope did not elaborate on which countries he was referring to.

Francis also expressed his concern about declining voter turnout in many countries. "Democracy demands that conditions are created so that everyone can express themselves," he said.

Appealing to members of the Catholic Church to also take responsibility in politics, Francis said: "We cannot be satisfied with a private faith. This means having the courage to make proposals for justice and peace in public debates."

The 87-year-old pontiff, who is in poor health, has not been on a long trip abroad for almost a year. In recent weeks, however, he has visited various northern Italian cities, including Venice, Verona and now Trieste.

In addition, Francis - who is also the head of state of the Vatican - attended the summit of the Group of Seven (G7) major democratic industrialized nations in southern Italy in mid-June.

If he remains healthy, the pope plans to travel to South East Asia and the Pacific in September for a 12-day trip, his longest abroad to date, with stops in Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, East Timor and Singapore.

Shortly afterwards, a visit to Luxembourg and Belgium is on the cards.