‘Corruption Stinks’
The Holy Father Pope Francis says that a Christian who allows corruption is not a Christian but stinks like a decaying animal corpse.
"Tell me," the Pope told the crowd in Scampia, "if we close the door on migrants, if we take away the jobs and dignity of people," what will happen? Corruption "is a temptation, it is a slide," the Pope said recently as he celebrated Mass in Naples' iconic Piazza del Plebiscito in Rome. bEveryone has within them the possibility of being corrupted, of paying someone under the table or looking for easy cash, he said.
Later, addressing mafia members and other criminals during a homily at a recent Mass, the Pope said: "Humbly, as a brother, I repeat: Convert to love and justice. Let yourself be found by God's mercy."
Hope is the first act of resistance to evil, Pope Francis told the people of Naples as he pleaded for respect for the dignity of immigrants, jobs for the unemployed and the conversion of the City's notorious mafia families.
"The Gospel teaches that the truly blessed are the poor in spirit, the non-violent, the meek, those who work for peace and justice. This is the force that will change the world.”
"Dear Neapolitans," he said in his homily, "don't let anyone steal your hope! Don't give in to the lure of easy money or dishonest income. ... React firmly against organizations that exploit and corrupt the young, the poor and the weak with the cynical sale of drugs and other crimes. Don't let anyone steal your hope!"
Pope Francis' 10-hour visit began with a brief stop for prayer at the Shrine of Our Lady of the Rosary in Pompeii and included a visit to a notoriously rough "periphery" neighbourhood, Mass in the centre of town, lunch at a local prison, a meeting with Priests and Religious, a visit with the sick and a seaside gathering with young people and the elderly.
As he was being driven along the waterfront at the end of the day, the crowd lining the road made way for a pizza maker. Although the popemobile did not stop, it slowed down enough for the flour-covered artisan to hand his pie to the pope. The Vatican did not release information on the pizza's final fate.
During his morning meeting with residents of the City's Scampia neighbourhood, an area of poverty and degradation, an immigrant woman from the Philippines asked the pope to please remind people that immigrants are children of God.
"Have we reached the point where that's necessary?" the Pope asked the crowd. "Are migrants second-class humans?"
"They are like us, children of God," he said. What is more, they are reminders that this world is not the permanent home of anyone and that "we are all migrants (moving) toward another homeland."
"We are all children of God," he said, "beloved children, desired children, saved children. Think about that!"
The Pope also insisted, loudly and repeatedly, that high unemployment rates -- especially among youths -- were a detriment to society and a failure of the current economic system and public policies.
CNS
"Tell me," the Pope told the crowd in Scampia, "if we close the door on migrants, if we take away the jobs and dignity of people," what will happen? Corruption "is a temptation, it is a slide," the Pope said recently as he celebrated Mass in Naples' iconic Piazza del Plebiscito in Rome. bEveryone has within them the possibility of being corrupted, of paying someone under the table or looking for easy cash, he said.
Later, addressing mafia members and other criminals during a homily at a recent Mass, the Pope said: "Humbly, as a brother, I repeat: Convert to love and justice. Let yourself be found by God's mercy."
Hope is the first act of resistance to evil, Pope Francis told the people of Naples as he pleaded for respect for the dignity of immigrants, jobs for the unemployed and the conversion of the City's notorious mafia families.
"The Gospel teaches that the truly blessed are the poor in spirit, the non-violent, the meek, those who work for peace and justice. This is the force that will change the world.”
"Dear Neapolitans," he said in his homily, "don't let anyone steal your hope! Don't give in to the lure of easy money or dishonest income. ... React firmly against organizations that exploit and corrupt the young, the poor and the weak with the cynical sale of drugs and other crimes. Don't let anyone steal your hope!"
Pope Francis' 10-hour visit began with a brief stop for prayer at the Shrine of Our Lady of the Rosary in Pompeii and included a visit to a notoriously rough "periphery" neighbourhood, Mass in the centre of town, lunch at a local prison, a meeting with Priests and Religious, a visit with the sick and a seaside gathering with young people and the elderly.
As he was being driven along the waterfront at the end of the day, the crowd lining the road made way for a pizza maker. Although the popemobile did not stop, it slowed down enough for the flour-covered artisan to hand his pie to the pope. The Vatican did not release information on the pizza's final fate.
During his morning meeting with residents of the City's Scampia neighbourhood, an area of poverty and degradation, an immigrant woman from the Philippines asked the pope to please remind people that immigrants are children of God.
"Have we reached the point where that's necessary?" the Pope asked the crowd. "Are migrants second-class humans?"
"They are like us, children of God," he said. What is more, they are reminders that this world is not the permanent home of anyone and that "we are all migrants (moving) toward another homeland."
"We are all children of God," he said, "beloved children, desired children, saved children. Think about that!"
The Pope also insisted, loudly and repeatedly, that high unemployment rates -- especially among youths -- were a detriment to society and a failure of the current economic system and public policies.
CNS
