 TORONTO (Reuters) - Pope Francis made a surprise appearance at a TED talk conference on Tuesday, urging powerful leaders “to act humbly” and said he hoped technological innovation would not leave people behind. “If you don’t, your power will ruin you, and you will ruin the other.” 
 
 The comments echoed Francis’ frequent themes to not ignore the plight of immigrants, the poor and other vulnerable people 
 
 Speaking in Italian with subtitles, Francis urged solidarity to overcome a “culture of waste” that had affected not only food but people cast aside by economic systems that rely increasingly on automation. REUTERS/Max Rossi/File Photo 
 
 The 18-minute video was filmed in Vatican City and broadcast to the audience at the annual TED 2017 conference in Vancouver. In his talk, Pope Francis says: "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."
– Pope Francis had a message for the powerful in an unexpected talk aired at the TED conference Tuesday. "The more powerful you are, the more your actions will have an impact on people, the more responsible you are to act humbly," he said, per Reuters. The 18-minute talk, recorded in Vatican City and broadcast at the Vancouver conference, was in Italian with subtitles available in more than 20 languages, the BBC reports. "You will end up hurting yourself and those around you, if you don't connect your power with humility and tenderness," Francis said. "Through humility and concrete love, on the other hand, power—the highest, the strongest one—becomes a service, a force for good." The pontiff called for an end to a "culture of waste" that considers people as well as goods to be disposable. "How wonderful would it be if the growth of scientific and technological innovation would come along with more equality and social inclusion," he said. Francis said many people seem to believe that "a happy future is something impossible to achieve," but their fears can be overcome "when we do not lock our door to the outside world." TED international curator Bruno Giussani says it took several trips to Rome to make the talk happen—and not many people in the Vatican knew about it. Other speakers this week will include Serena Williams and Elon Musk.