Pope criticises focus on 'idol called money' - Europe - Al Jazeera English

Pope criticises focus on 'idol called money' - Europe - Al Jazeera English:

Pope Francis has criticised a global economic system that "idolised" money, saying it was behind suffering and unemployment as he visited the struggling Italian island of Sardinia.

Francis, at the start of a day-long trip to the Sardinian capital, Cagliari, put aside his prepared text at a meeting with unemployed workers, including miners.

"I find suffering here... it weakens you and robs you of hope," he said on Sunday. "Excuse me if I use strong words, but where there is no work there is no dignity."

The pope, who later celebrated Mass for about 300,000 people outside the city's cathedral, told them: "We don't want this globalised economic system which does us so much harm. Men and women have to be at the centre [of an economic system] as God wants, not money."

"The world has become an idolator of this god called money," he said.

Francis ended his improvised speech with a prayer asking God to "give us work and teach us to fight for work".