Pope blasts the ‘sickness of consumerism’ on Cyber Monday – urging followers to ‘make miracles’ by giving away their possessions
- Pope Francis criticised materialism as the enemy of generosity today
- Francis blasted the ‘sickness of consumerism’ in a homily on Cyber Monday
- The Pope called on the faithful to act charitably and donate to the poor
Pope Francis says the ‘sickness of consumerism’ is the enemy of generosity as he called for the faithful to give a little something to the poor.
Francis made the comments during his morning homily Monday, so-called Cyber Monday when online retailers woo shoppers with bargains ahead of Christmas.
Francis made no mention of Christmas shopping – in Italy, the official season begins December 8 – but his plea for generosity will likely be repeated in coming weeks.
Francis said giving away clothes, shoes or groceries can help the poor: ‘How many pairs of shoes do I have? One, two, three, four, 15, 20? … If you have so many, give away half.’
Pope Francis criticised the ‘sickness of consumerism’ today as retailers wooed shoppers with Cyber Monday deals
Francis urged the faithful to consider donating clothes, shoes and food to help those less fortunate
He said: ‘We can make miracles with generosity of little things.’
The Pontiff hit out at what he described as a money-centred culture that ‘promotes poverty, slavery and waste’ in September this year.
The Argentine has repeatedly criticised what he calls the ‘culture of waste’ which excludes the poorest and weakest people and destroys the environment.
He has also urged governments to make good on their commitments to curb global warming, warning that climate change, continued unsustainable development and rampant consumption threatens to turn the Earth into a vast pile of ‘rubble, deserts and refuse’.