While visiting students at a school in Greece, Pope Francis warned young people not to be tempted by ‘false need(s) for consumerism’ and ‘sirens’.
To end his five day trip to Greece and Cyprus, Pop Francis aimed to speak to refugees and immigrants who we’re looking for entry into Europe. Pope Francis made one last stop before heading home.
Through reference of Homer’s The Odesseye, the pipe encouraged students to resisted the urge to pursue more materialistic endeavors and to avoid the sirens who ‘enchanted sailors and made them crash against the rocks’.
Still referring back to the poem, Pope Francis had this to say:
“Today’s sirens want to charm you with seductive and insistent messages that focus on easy gains, the false needs of consumerism, the cult of physical wellness, of entertainment at all costs”
During his speech he noted that ‘many people today are constantly using social media, but are not themselves very social’ and to not become ‘prisoners of the cell phone’.
According to the National Catholic Register, the pope proceeded:
‘What appears on the screen is not the reality of other persons: their eyes, their breath, and their hands. The screen can easily become a mirror, where you think you are looking at the world, but in reality, you are all alone before a virtual world full of appearances, of photos dressed up to look always beautiful and acceptable.
‘Yet how beautiful it is simply to be together with other people, to discover the newness of others! Cultivate the mystique of togetherness, the joy of sharing, the enthusiasm of serving!’
Pope Francis is set to participate in pre-Christmas events upon returning to Rome.
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