Speeches

“At the root of this vice is a false idea of God: we do not accept that God has His own “math,” different from ours,” Pope Francis said in today’s general audience address, read by an aide.

In continuing his catechesis on vices and virtues, Pope Francis warns against the effects of acedia, or sloth, which is a “lack of care” for one’s own life.

In continuing his catechesis on vices and virtues, Pope Francis called avarice “that form of attachment to money that keeps man from generosity.”

“If we interpret it from a social point of view, gluttony is perhaps the most dangerous vice, which is killing the planet,” Pope Francis said in his weekly general audience.

A famous saying attributed to Abba Anthony the Great, the first great father of monasticism, goes like this: “Remove temptations and no-one will be saved.”

One must never dialogue, brothers and sisters, with the devil. Never!

Pope Francis tells us that the nativity is like a living Gospel, enabling us to experience the “great joy” that comes from the mystery of Christ.

The phrase “Ephphatha,” meaning “be open,” signifies the need for believers to be receptive to God’s message and to serve others. Christians are encouraged to embody openness.