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Pope Francis Urges Leaders To Act 'Humbly' In His First TED Talk

Pope Francis gave the very first papal TED Talk on Tuesday. And he had an important message for people in positions of power around the world.

By: Briana Koeneman

Posted at 9:16 AM, Apr 26, 2017

and last updated 2017-04-26 09:16:11-04

Pope Francis gave the very first papal TED Talk on Tuesday.

"The more powerful you are, the more your actions will have an impact on people, the more responsible you are to act humbly," Pope Francis said.

And he had an important message for people in positions of power around the world.

"You will end up hurting yourself and those around you if you don't connect your power with humility and tenderness," the pope said.

During his speech, the pope also emphasized that we all need each other, and the only way to build the future is to stand together.

The pope's talk was a surprise addition to the TED 2017 conference lineup, which included tennis star Serena Williams, World Bank President Jim Yong Kim and journalist Gayle King.

And it apparently took some convincing to get him to speak.

The international curator who organized the pope's talk told The Washington Post it took more than a year of asking and several trips to Rome to seal the deal.

Pope Francis' TED appearance came as he prepared to visit Egypt as part of an effort to reach out to Muslims and improve relations between their faiths.