During his daily morning Mass at the Vatican, Pope Francis talked about corruption. He explained that it is easy to be corrupt, because power makes people feel 'almost like God.'
POPE FRANCIS
'If we talk of politically or economically corrupt people, who pays for their corruption? Hospitals without medicine pay, and the patients who don't get care, the children without education. They are the modern Naboths, who pay the price for the corruption of the powerful. And who pays the price for the corruption of a prelate? The children pay, who cannot make the sign of the cross, those who do not know the catechism, who are not taken care of. The sick who are not visited, the imprisoned, who receive no spiritual attention. The poor pay. Corruption is paid by the poor: the materially poor and the spiritually poor.â?
Pope Francis concluded the only way to fight corruption is through service, that purifies the heart.
EXCERPT OF THE POPE'S HOMILY
Source: Vatican Radio
'In the newspapers we read many times: â??Ah, that politician who got rich by magic has been brought into court. That business owner, who got rich by magic â?? that is, by exploiting his workers â?? has been dragged into court. We hear too much talk of a prelate who has become rich too, and left his pastoral duty to care for his power. So, the corrupt politicians, the corrupt businessmen and the corrupt clergy, are to be found everywhere â?? and we have to tell the truth: corruption is precisely the sin that the person with authority â?? whether political, economic or ecclesiastical â?? over others has most readily to hand. We are all tempted to corruption. It is a â??handyâ?? sin, for, when one has authority, one feels powerful, one feels almost like God.â?
'If we talk of politically or economically corrupt people, who pays for [their corruption]? Pagano hospitals without medicine, the patients who did not receive care, the children without education. They are the modern Naboths, who pay the price for the corruption of the haughty. And who pays the price for the corruption of a prelate? The children pay, who cannot make the sign of the cross, who do not know the catechism, who are not cared-for. The sick who are not visited, the imprisoned, who receive no spiritual attention. The poor pay. Corruption is paid by the poor: the materially poor and the spiritually poor.â?
'Today, we offer the Mass for them â?? many, many of them â?? who are paying the price for corruption, bearing the cost of the lives of the corrupt. These martyrs of political corruption, economic corruption, and ecclesiastical corruption. We pray for them. May the Lord bring us closer to them. Surely He was very close to Naboth, in the moment he was stoned to death, as He was to Stephen. May the Lord be close and give strength [to those bearing the burden of corruption], so that they might go forward with their witness.â?
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