Pope Francis told an audience that any priest who indulges in “secularism” is no better than a “pagan.” The Roman pope told the public in Thursday’s sermon that “paganism” was a persistent problem among Christians, though not always easily recognizable. The pope argued that “spiritual worldliness”, “pragmatism” and “liturgy” continued to dilute and corrupt both the clergy and the laity. “A place of hidden idolatry opens up wherever it is spiritual worldlinesswhich is “a proposition of life, a culture, a culture of the ephemeral, of appearance, of cosmetics,” said Pope Francis, adding, “A worldly priest is nothing but a clergy pagan.” POPE COMPARES RUSSIAN INVASION IN UKRAINE WITH KAIN AND ABEL The Pope explained that “spiritual secularism” is a form of “triumph, triumph without a cross.” Pope Francis receives Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias upon arrival at Eleftherios Venizelos International Airport in Athens, Greece, Saturday, December 4, 2021. (AP Photo / Thanassis Stavrakis) “Jesus prayed that the Father would defend us against this culture of worldliness. This temptation of glory without the cross is contrary to the very face of the Lord, it is contrary to Jesus,” said Pope Francis. The Pope also criticized the focus on numbers and data, saying: “Those who love this hidden image can be recognized by their love for statistics, numbers that can depersonalize any discussion and address the majority as the final criterion of distinction. this is not good. This can not be the only method or criterion for the Church of Christ. “ The latest case of paganism mentioned by the pope involves being “more enthusiastic about the road map than about the road.” Pope Francis stressed that a highly functional view of the world leads clergy and laity to aim for efficiency and function instead of hope. “The mentality of the ministry has a short mystery; it aims at effectiveness. Little by little, this image replaces the presence of the Father within us,” he said. Pope Francis greets and blesses the children assisted by the Vatican’s Santa Marta Pediatric Clinic in Paul VI Room. (Stefano Costantino / SOPA Images / LightRocket via Getty Images) Pope Francis has been ridiculed by camps on both sides of the cultural rift for his audience with various politicians. The pope met with President Joe Biden and Parliament Speaker Nancy Pelosi on different occasions over the past year. Both Biden and Pelosi are proud of their universal faith despite their vocal support for a range of policies contrary to the teachings of the Catholic Church. Both politicians claimed that the Pope was friendly and supportive without mentioning disagreements on such issues. The pope has repeatedly spoken out against the theory of gender and transgender, characterizing the sinfulness and corruption of youth. CLICK HERE TO RECEIVE THE FOX NEWS APPLICATION “Young people must be helped to accept their body as it was created, because the thought that we enjoy absolute power over our body is often discreetly transformed into the thought that we enjoy absolute power over creation,” the Pope has already said. 2015. He also compared the supply of an abortion to the hiring of a “killer” and said that this practice is a form of murder. “Abortion is more than a problem – abortion is homicide,” the pope said in September. “Whoever has an abortion kills.”
