The Pope: "Even some prelates are corrupt"

Vatican Insider
June 17, 2014

http://vaticaninsider.lastampa.it/en/the-vatican/detail/articolo/santa-marta-34767/

The day after stating that “the corruption of the powerful is paid by the poor”, Pope Francis again, "thundered" – what’s more, like other times over the last year - against this "scourge", involving “several prelates” as well.

When a person "enters" the "road of corruption", "take his own lives, usurps and sells himself",  he takes advantage of the innocent  “with white gloves, without dirtying his hands”  he said in the homily at Casa Santa Marta, as Vatican Radio reported.

"A corrupt person irritates God and makes people sin”.  Not only that:  a corrupt person “is one who kills, who steals”,  if they do not ask for forgiveness, they are condemned with “the curse of God”, because “they exploit the innocent”.  Pope Francis relaunches his complaint against corruption reflecting on today's First Reading, the martyrdom of Naboth - narrated in the first Book of Kings - killed at the behest of the corrupt King Ahab who has taken possession of his vineyard. The prophet Elijah, noted the Pope, says that the corrupt Ahab “sold” himself.  It’s as though "he is no longer person but a commodity", "buy and sell": "This is the definition: it is a commodity! Then what will the Lord do with the corrupt, whatever the type of corruption ... Yesterday we said that there were three types, three groups: the corrupt politician, corrupt businessman and the corrupt clergy. All three hurt the innocent, the poor, because it is the poor who pay for the festivities of the corrupt! The bill goes to them. The Lord clearly says what must be done, "I will bring disaster upon you and I will cut you off.  For Ahab I will wipe out every male, salve or free, in Israel”.

"The corrupt - he continues – irritate God and cause people to sin”.  Jesus, he said, said it clearly:  he who "causes scandal may just as well throw himself into the sea”, the corrupt "scandalizes society, scandalizes the people of God”.  The Lord promises therefore punishment for the corrupt "because they scandalize and exploit those who cannot defend themselves, they enslave them":  "The birds in the sky will devour you”.  

The corrupt person, continued Francis, "sells himself to do evil, but he does not know this: he believes that will sell himself for more money, more power”.  However, reiterated the Pope, actually he "sells himself to do evil, to kill”.   That is why, he warns: "When we say, "This man is corrupt; this woman is corrupt "... Let’s stop a moment: Do you have proof?”. Because, the Pope pointed out, "to say to a person that they are corrupt, what you are saying is that "they are condemned, it means saying that the Lord has cast them away":   "The corrupt are traitors, even more. The first definition of corrupt is one who steals, one who kills. The second thing: what is in store for the corrupt? This is the curse of God, because they exploited the innocent, those who cannot defend themselves and they did it with kid gloves, from a distance, without getting their hands dirty. The third thing:  is there a way out, a door for the corrupt? Yes! "When Ahad heard these words he tore his clothes, put sackcloth over his body, and fasted. He slept on sackcloth, and walked with his head down. He began to do penance”.  This, the Pope said, "is the way out for the corrupt, for corrupt politicians, corrupt businessmen and corrupt clergy: to ask for forgiveness!”.

And, he added, " the Lord like this”.   God "forgives, but forgives when the corrupt” do “what  Zacchaeus did:  “I have stolen, Lord! I will give back four times what I stole!”.

"When we read in the newspapers that one is corrupt, that another is corrupt - then urged Francis – those who committed corruption and bribes going here and there and also many things about  some prelates, as Christians it is our duty to ask forgiveness for them and that the Lord give them the grace to repent, that they do not die with a corrupt heart ... ". "To condemn the corrupt, yes," concluded the Pope, "ask for grace to avoid corruption, yes!" and "also pray for their conversion!”.