A very different kind of Pope

Pope Francis Blasts Weapons Manufacturers And Investors Calling Them Hypocrites

By Samuel Warde

Pope Francis told a crowd that anyone who manufactures weapons or invests in weapons industries is a hypocrite for advocating peace while manufacturing and selling arms.

The Pope issued the condemnation, his toughest to date, while speaking before a group of thousands of young people in the Italian city of Turin on Sunday.

Setting aside his prepared speech, the Pope discussed war, trust and politics – telling the young audience:

If you trust only men you have lost, it makes me think of … people, managers, businessmen who call themselves Christian and they manufacture weapons. That leads to a bit a distrust, doesn’t it?

He also criticized investors in the weapons industry, saying “duplicity is the currency of today … they say one thing and do another.”

The Pope also blasted the “great powers” of the world for failing to act when there was intelligence indicating people were being transported to death camps in Europe during World War II, telling the audience:

The great powers had the pictures of the railway lines that brought the trains to the concentration camps like Auschwitz to kill Jews, Christians, homosexuals, everybody. Why didn’t they bomb [the railway lines]?

Samuel Warde is a writer, social and political activist, and all-around troublemaker.