Pope warns the powerful in surprise TED talk

Pope Francis salutes at the end of his weekly general audience in St. Peter square at the Vatican, Wednesday, April 26, 2017. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini) (The Associated Press)

In a surprise videotaped talk to a TED conference in Vancouver, Pope Francis on Wednesday warned those with power to act in a humble fashion or risk potential loss.

The talk, delivered via videotape and focused on “The Future You,” was the first one ever by a pope.

“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,” Francis stated. “If you don't, your power will ruin you, and you will ruin others.”

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Francis said that as he’s gotten older he’s become more and more convinced that “none of us is an island.” Accordingly, he argued for increased unity in the scientific, economic and political arenas.

“How wonderful would it be, while we discover faraway planets, to rediscover the needs of the brothers and sisters orbiting around us,” the Pope 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.”

TED (Technology, Entertainment, Design) is a media organization that publishes talks online for free distribution in an effort to spark conversation and ideas.

Francis’ involvement marked a new change for the Vatican’s communication channels, which have increasingly attempted to spread the pope’s words through social media and nontraditional media sources.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.