«Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.» That phrase, from Lord John Emerich Edward Dalberg-Acton (1843-1902), is always quoted when speaking of corruption. From an aristocratic Anglo-Italo-German family, he taught History at Cambridge. A liberal Catholic, he strongly opposed the reactionary Pope Pius IX. He wrote a letter on April 5, 1887 to his colleague Mandell Creighton, who had published five volumes about the history of the Popes during the times of the Protestant Reformation. He argued how the Popes, contrary to Christian principles, abused their position of power and justified their immoral actions by appealing to their religious office, because, in the words of Dalberg-Acton, «the office sanctifies the holder of it». This fact led him to affirm that absolute power corrupts absolutely. I do not know whether from pessimism or realism, he also said that the general evil of men in authority, is dogma. As a Catholic, Lord Acton saw in corruption the presence of «original sin.» This expression, not the reality, was created by St. Augustin in 416. With it, he tried to explain the biblical vision according to which «the imagination of man's heart is evil from his youth» (Gen 8,21.) Therefore, instead of original sin, Christian tradition used the expression "corruption," in its etymological sense: to have a heart (cor) that is broken (ruptus), or simply to be «homo corruptus.» The philosopher Kant was thinking along the same lines when he metaphorically said: «we are twisted lumber from which we cannot get straight boards». In other words, there is a basic corruption in the human being that manifests itself to the greatest degree in those who hold power. Why precisely in them? There is none better than Thomas Hobbes to answer this in his «Leviathan» (1651): «I put for a general inclination of all mankind a perpetual and restless desire of power after power, that ceaseth only in death. And the cause of this is … because he cannot assure the power and means to live well, which he hath present, without the acquisition of more". There is, then, a direct relation between power and corruption. Corruption is the use of power for self benefit. The benefit can be money, influence, fame, special treatment. Fundamental to these transactions is secrecy, because the transactions are either immoral or illegal. Passively or actively, gifts, pressures, fraud, bribes and nepotism are employed. Corrupt is the one who bribes or who agrees to be bribed, to gain benefits for himself, for a political party or for the government. The key point is the abuse of the position of power. How can one overcome corruption? To begin with, through trust combined with mistrust of human beings, because they are never immune to the abuse of power. Never give a blank cheque. Then, avoid the concentration of power. The separation of powers was devised as a means of avoiding possible corruption. Then, control by society, especially with support of multimedia. Demand transparency in all procedures. Lastly, punish harshly corrupt politicians because they have committed an especially grave crime: they have wronged the community. (Translation: ALAI.) - Leonardo Boff, Theologian