"There are those who say 'I am very Catholic, I always go to Mass, I belong to this and that association'," the head of the 1.2 billion-member Roman Catholic Church said, according to a Vatican Radio transcript.
He said that some of these people should also say "'my life is not Christian, I don't pay my employees proper salaries, I exploit people, I do dirty business, I launder money, (I lead) a double life'."
"There are many Catholics who are like this and they cause scandal," he said. "How many times have we all heard people say 'if that person is a Catholic, it is better to be an atheist'."
"To whom much is given, much is expected." The reality is, the atheist will be in Hell and the badly-behaving, unrepentant Catholic will be deeper in Hell along with bishops and even a few popes, it is never "better to be an atheist."
This kind of talk from any priest, let along the Bishop of Rome is a betrayal of Christ. It is always better to be Catholic because of the grace of baptism that may elicit death-bed repentance. The atheist does not have this.
The atheist will now say, "see, why do I have to be a nasty Catholic like you?"
That atheist may very well go to Hell.
And a pope will be looking back at him for helping to send him there.
