Ditch the flashy cars, Pope tells priests: Pontiff tells Vatican trainees that
having latest model is not the route to happiness
Pope has urged priests to follow his example and stop driving flashy carsThe
Pope himself is driven around in a modestly-priced Ford Focus
By
Daily Mail Reporter
PUBLISHED:
20:35, 7 July 2013
|
UPDATED:
20:35, 7 July 2013
Pope Francis said on Saturday it pained him to see priests driving flashy cars,
and told them to pick something more 'humble'.
As
part of his drive to make the Catholic Church more austere and focus on
the poor, Francis told young and trainee priests and nuns from around
the world that having the latest smartphone or fashion accessory was not
the route to happiness.
Modest: Pope Francis warned trainee priests and nuns not to be materialistic
'It hurts me when I see a priest or a nun with the latest model car, you can't
do this,' he said.
'A car is necessary to do a lot of work, but please, choose a more humble one.
More...
'If you like the fancy one, just think about how many children are dying of
hunger in the world,' he said.
Car of choice: Pope Francis is driven around the Vatican City in a
modestly-priced Ford Focus
Since succeeding Pope Benedict
in March, the former cardinal Jorge Bergoglio of Argentina has eschewed
some of the more ostentatious trappings of his office.
He has chosen to live in a Vatican guest house rather than the opulent papal
apartments.
The ANSA news agency said the pope's car of choice for moving around the walled
Vatican City was a compact Ford Focus.
