Posted on 10/13/2016 2:40:22 PM PDT by Mr. Mojo
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Meeting a pilgrimage of Catholics and Lutherans from Germany, Pope Francis said he does not like "the contradiction of those who want to defend Christianity in the West, and, on the other hand, are against refugees and other religions."
"This is not something I've read in books, but I see in the newspapers and on television every day," Pope Francis said.
Answering questions from young people in the group Oct. 13, the pope said, "the sickness or, you can say the sin, that Jesus condemns most is hypocrisy," which is precisely what is happening when someone claims to be a Christian but does not live according to the teaching of Christ.
"You cannot be a Christian without living like a Christian," he said. "You cannot be a Christian without practicing the Beatitudes. You cannot be a Christian without doing what Jesus teaches us in Matthew 25," which is to feed the hungry, clothe the naked and welcome the stranger.
"It's hypocrisy to call yourself a Christian and chase away a refugee or someone seeking help, someone who is hungry or thirsty, toss out someone who is in need of my help," he said. "If I say I am Christian, but do these things, I'm a hypocrite."
Asked what he thought of the Reformation, Pope Francis said the Christian community is called to continual growth and maturity, and its entire history has been marked by reform movements "small and not so small," some of which were healthy and holy, others which went awry because of human sin.
"The greatest reformers of the church are the saints, those men and women who follow the word of God and practice it," he told the pilgrims, most of whom came from Martin Luther's home region of Saxony-Anhalt.
In his formal talk to the group, Pope Francis said Christians must praise God that, in the past 50 years, Catholics and Lutherans have moved "from conflict to communion. We already have traveled an important part of the road together."
Noting that he would go to Lund, Sweden, at the end of the month to participate with Lutheran leaders in opening commemorations of the 500th anniversary of the Protestant Reformation, Pope Francis said an important part of the commemoration would be a joint commitment to working together in a world "thirsting for God and his mercy."
The world needs Christians to witness God's mercy "through service to the poorest, the sick (and) those who have abandoned their homelands in search of a better future for themselves and their families," he said.
"In putting ourselves at the service of the neediest," Pope Francis said, "we will experience that we already are united; it is God's mercy that unites us."
What he REALLY should be saying is that countries need to be bringing in CHRISTIAN refugees. But are they? LESS THAN 1%.
As a Christian leader, the POPE needs to be highlighting this and asking why.
Catholicism isn’t a suicide pact anymore than the US Constitution.
Tear down that Vatican wall!
This must be a bad day for me but I think I have had enough of this treasonous Pope and his treachery. Not one more dime for this church. A lifelong Catholic and former seminarian. I am done. I will become a Hindu before I will lift a finger to support this faith traitor. F the Pope and his acquiescence islam
Putting one’s self at the service of people who want to kill you does not sound wise.
Some Catholic friends of mine want to be supportive of their Pope Francis, but privately they think that something about him is not right. What say you, Catholic Freepers?
Exactly. Welcoming those fleeing the head-choppers is compassion. Welcoming the head-choppers themselves is not only madness, but an especially cruel madness to the first group.
The worldly-minded Pope needs to learn Jesus’ teaching of Luke 13:25.
We’ve discussed this before. He f***ing sucks. He’s beyond terrible.
To me, Benedict is the rightful Bishop of Rome.
Go stuff yerself, yer holiness.
This Pope has a head so large, it is amazing he can fit through the doors of St. Peter’s Basilica. As a Catholic, I say to this Pope, get lost. We do not need your kind of phony left wing Jesuit baloney. Begone Bergoglio.
To be blunt, Muslim 'refugees' do not seek to assimilate,they seek to subjugate. We are OK with Christian refugees (real Christians).
I agree - let’s take the Christian ones. The Muslims can stay in the Muslim world.
Then open up the Vatican gates and let them live with you, hypocrite first
OK, I will reject MOST refugees. Christians, Jews, Buddhists and Hindus are welcome. Sharia Moslem Jihadists are not welcome.
Catholic Hypocrisy? One simple word, Pops: ABORTION. Take that to your Cafeteria Catholics.
Will accept the Christian, Jewish, Hindu, Zoroastrian but no Muslims.
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