Pope Francis told Church benefactors who profit from exploitation of workers to take back their donations and “burn it.”
“I think of some benefactors of the Church that say ‘take this offer for the Church,’ and it is profit from the blood of those abused, treated as slaves, workers with poorly paid jobs,” the pope said during his general audience in the Vatican on Wednesday.
“The people of God – that is, the Church – don’t need dirty money. They need hearts that are open to God’s mercy,” said Pope Francis.
The pontiff said God wants people to turn away from evil and do what is just, not cover up their sins with gestures of sacrifice.
The pope said he would tell these donors to go away because God wants sinners “with purified hands” who have changed course, avoid evil and work for what is good and just, like aiding the oppressed and defending the weak.
“I am thinking of many, many refugees who are landing in Europe and don’t know where to go,” he said.
Pope Francis said the road to salvation isn’t ritual sacrifice, which is condemned because, “instead of showing conversion, it claims to replace it.”
Sources
CNS
AP/Crux
The Washington Post
Image: AP/The Washington Post