Turning your head away from the suffering of others is a grave sin, and simply saying some prayers does not make a good Christian of someone who ignores those in need, Pope Francis has said.
The plight of those who suffer in the world today is a modern-day Calvary that "spurs us on to offer ever new signs of mercy," the Pope said on September 3 at a special audience for people engaged in the works of mercy, as well as for pilgrims in Rome for the canonisation of Blessed Teresa of Calcutta.
"I will never tire of saying that the mercy of God is not some beautiful idea but rather a concrete action," Pope Francis said. "There is no mercy without concreteness. Mercy is not doing something good while passing by; it means involving yourself there where there is evil, where there is sickness, where there is hunger, where there is human exploitation."
