Pope, at general audience, warns against greed
January 24, 2024
At his January 24 general audience, held in Paul VI Audience Hall, Pope Francis warned against greed, in the fifth 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 greed, as an undue attachment to wealth, which hinders us from being generous with regard to others,” the Pontiff said, in the words of the Vatican’s summary of his remarks. “Greed is not simply a selfish hoarding of money or material objects, but a distorted relationship with reality and even a form of enslavement.”
The summary continued:
The Desert Fathers saw greed as an attempt to avoid facing the reality of death, which is opposed to Jesus’ advice to accumulate treasures in heaven rather than earthly goods (cf. Mt 6:19-20).
May our use of the world’s goods always be marked by evangelical freedom, responsibility and a spirit of generous solidarity, in imitation of Christ himself, who, though he was rich, became poor for our sakes, so that by his poverty, we might become rich (cf. 2 Cor 8:9).
Previous audience in series:
- Safeguarding the heart (December 27, 2023)
- The spiritual striving (January 3, 2024)
- Gluttony (January 10, 2024)
- Lust (January 17, 2024)
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