“We Speak Of Morals Because It Is Easier,”

Today “the thing that is valued the least in Latin America is life,” and there is a “culture of discarding everything that is not functional.” In Argentina, “there is hidden euthanasia, the social infrastructure pays up to a certain limit, but discards the elderly when, in fact, they are the seat of the wisdom of the people.” This mentality of discarding even influences the way children are treated: “they are maltreated; they are neither educated nor nourished. Many are forced to prostitute and exploit themselves.” The cardinal asked priests not to be “puritans” and to stop centering their homilies on moral aspects, but instead on the gospel of Jesus Christ. “We speak of morals because it is easier,” he emphasizes. “Furthermore - and this is bad taste - we deal with themes related to matrimonial morals and those tied to the sixth commandment because they seem more colorful. Thus we give a very sad image of the Church.”

Link (here) to Vatican Insider to read the full article on Pope Francis I