A Christian faith that does not disturb the powers that be and cannot generate a serious commitment to charity becomes an innocuous devotion, Pope Francis said.
“Christian hope, fulfilled in Jesus and realised in his kingdom, needs us and our commitment, needs our faith expressed in works of charity, needs Christians who do not look the other way,” the pope said 17 November, celebrating Mass for the World Day of the Poor in St Peter’s Basilica.
“We are the ones that must make his grace shine forth through lives steeped in compassion and charity that become signs of the Lord’s presence, always close to the suffering of the poor in order to heal their wounds and transform their fate,” he said.
Making an appeal to the entire Catholic Church, all world governments and international organisations, the pope said, “Please, let us not forget the poor.”
“While one part of the world is condemned to live in the slums of history, while inequalities grow and the economy punishes the weakest, while society devotes itself to the idolatry of money and consumption, it so happens that the poor and marginalised have no choice but to continue to wait,” he said.
