Pope denounces Catholics who lead a 'double life'
Pope Francis on Thursday criticized Catholics leading a "double life," — those who proudly boast they are "very Catholic" yet fail to pay their workers a fair wage.
In his daily morning Mass, the pontiff denounced such hypocrisy, noting: "How many times have we heard — all of us, around the neighborhood and elsewhere — ‘but to be a Catholic like that, it’s better to be an atheist.’"
Speaking during an improvised homily at the Santa Mara, his Vatican residence, the pontiff commented on the day's gospel from St. Mark in which Jesus warns about anyone who "causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin," according to a transcript from Vatican Radio,
"Cut off your hand," "pluck (your eye) out," but do not "scandalize the little ones," meaning the just ones who believe in God, Francis said.
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As an example, he denounced Catholics who go to Mass, participate in different church associations but then launder money or refuse to pay employees a fair wage.
He spoke of one case of workers at a failing company not getting receiving their paychecks "and the head of the company, a Catholic, was taking his winter vacation on a beach in the Middle East, and the people knew it, even if it hadn’t made the papers. These are scandals.”
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He then cautioned against "excessive confidence" that God will forgive all in the end or that there will be time later to convert.
“Let us think about this,” Francis said, closing his remarks. “And let us take advantage of the word of the lord and remember that on this the lord is very severe. Scandal destroys.”