Pope, at general audience, warns against lust
January 17, 2024
At his January 17 general audience, held in Paul VI Audience Hall, Pope Francis warned against lust, in the fourth talk in a series of Wednesday general audiences devoted to the virtues and vices.
“In our catechesis on the virtues and the vices, we now turn to lust, which is opposed to the beauty of that love which the Creator has implanted in our hearts and called us to cultivate in our relations with others, especially by the responsible use of our sexuality,” the Pontiff said, in the words of the Vatican’s summary of his remarks. “Lust poisons the purity of love by turning it from a chaste, patient and generous acceptance of another person in all the mysterious richness of his or her being, into a egotistic desire for possession and immediate satisfaction.”
The summary continued:
God’s gift of sexuality, which finds sublime expression in conjugal love, is at the service of human fulfilment and authentic freedom, whereas lust enchains us in selfishness and emptiness. May our hearts always treasure the beauty of love, which shares in the mystery of God’s own unconditional love for us, created in his own image.
Previous audience in series:
- Safeguarding the heart (December 27, 2023)
- The spiritual striving (January 3, 2024)
- Gluttony (January 10, 2024)
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