Pope Francis: It is better to be an atheist than an evil Catholic

Pope Francis returned to show his particular interest for the disadvantaged with a powerful message to the Catholics who go to mass on Sunday and exploit the poor the rest of the days of the week.

In the homily of his morning mass on Thursday in the chapel of the House of St. Martha, the Pontiff's residence, Francis harshly criticized what he called "the double life" of those who practice certain aspects of religion, Its main precepts, such as love of neighbor.

"The scandal is to say one thing and do another; It is double life, double life. Double in everything: I am very Catholic, I always go to Mass, I belong to this association and this other; But my life is not Christian, I do not pay the right to my employees, I exploit the people, I am dirty in business, I make money laundering ... double life, "said the Holy Father, according to Vatican Radio.

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"So many Catholics are like that. And they scandalize. How many times have we heard-all of us, in the neighborhood and elsewhere-but to be a Catholic like that, it's better to be an atheist. " That is the scandal. It destroys you, it knocks you down. And this happens every day. "

For example, he mentioned the case of a company, of which he did not mention the name, whose workers were on the brink of strike because they did not receive their salaries, but whose manager did not respond to the authorities' call to find a solution because he was on vacation On a beach in the Middle East.

"To all of us, each of us, it will do us good today to think if there is something of double life in us: to appear righteous, to look good believers, good Catholics, but below do something else," warned Francisco.

As CNN en Espanol recalled, this is not the first time the pope has touched on the so-called Catholic bad guys. In another sermon he had spoken of the "falsehood" of those who considered themselves religious, but did not help their neighbors.

He also recalled at a Mass in 2013 that Jesus Christ had died on the cross to redeem all human beings, including atheists.

Since his arrival in the chair of Peter, the Argentine pontiff has put the fight against poverty and inequality on the front page of the Vatican agenda, while being more open to groups that have been kept out of life religious.