Pastors should stop acting 'like princes', says pope
Pope Francis has told pastors they should not act like 'princes' but start acting like Jesus.
The leader of Catholics all over the world made the comments at his general audience on Wednesday.
He said clergy who use their position for personal gain, rather than to help those in need, are not working in the spirit of Jesus.
He said Jesus took upon himself the sufferings of others and criticised leaders who did not help others.
"Jesus was not a prince," said the pope.
"It is awful for the Church when pastors become princes, far from the people, far from the poorest people. That is not the spirit of Jesus."
Before speaking, Pope Francis travelled around St Peter's Square in the Popemobile, greeting pilgrims.
Francis concluded his general audience, saying Jesus was "a pastor who was among the people, among the poor."
Pope Francis holds a weekly general audience where he addresses different issues in front of thousands of believers.
A Monthly Gift Of $11 Makes A World Of Difference
In a world of fake news there’s never been a greater need for quality Christian journalism. Premier’s mission is to provide the Church with the most up to date and relevant news, told from a Christian perspective. But we can’t do it without you.
Unlike many websites we haven't put up a paywall — we want to keep our journalism free at the point of need and as open as we can. Premier’s news output takes a lot of time, money and hard work to produce. No one in the USA is sharing news like we are across radio, magazines and online so please help us to continue that today.
For a monthly gift of $11 or more we’d also be able to send you a free copy of the brand new Premier Bible, a wonderful Anglicised version of the NLT packed with exclusive bonus content, reading plan and resources to help you get the most out of scripture.
Your monthly support will make a world of difference. Thank you.
Sorry, your web browser is not capable of supporting the features required by this website. We advise you upgrade your web browser before continuing to use this website.
The following web browsers are supported by this website:
Apple web kit UI:
Version 537 or later
Microsoft Internet Explorer:
Version 11 or later
Microsoft Edge:
Any version
Google Chrome:
Version 70 or later
Mozilla Firefox:
Version 65 or later
Apple Safari:
Version 601 or later
Opera:
Version 60 or later
Facebook App:
Any version
Twitter App:
Any version
Please contact your system administrator if you require assistance upgrading or changing your web browser. We will not notify you again about this until you next restart your browser.
