According to Vatican Radio, Pope Francis spoke about the difference between being a sinner and being corrupt during his homily on Monday morning in his residence.
"Those who sin and repent, who ask for forgiveness, are humble before the Lord. But those who continue to sin, while pretending to be Christian, lead a double life, they are corrupt," he said.
"A Christian who is a benefactor, who gives to the Church with one hand, but steals with the other hand from the country, from the poor, is unjust."
As Jesus said, “It would be better for him if a millstone were put around his neck and he be thrown into the sea”.
This is because the person is deceitful, and “where there is deceit, the Spirit of God cannot be,” the Pope said.
“We should all call ourselves sinners, but those who are corrupt do not understand humility. Jesus called them whitewashed tombs: they appear beautiful, from the outside, but inside they are full of dead bones and putrefaction. And a Christian who boasts about being Christian, but does not lead a Christian life, is corrupt," he said.
We all know such people, he continued, "and they damage the Church because they don’t live in the spirit of the Gospel, but in the spirit of worldliness. St. Paul in his letter to the Romans clearly urges them not to enter into the framework, into the mentality of worldliness, because it leads to this double life."
Calling this corrupt life a "varnished putrefaction", he reminded the faithful that Jesus didn't refer to the corrupt as sinners, but as hypocrites.
The Pope concluded: "Let us ask the Holy Spirit, for the grace to admit that we are sinners, but not corrupt."
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