Pope Francis to Filipino clergy, religious: Identify with the poor

MANILA, Philippines — Pope Francis on Friday warned Filipino members of the Catholic clergy and religious institutions on the effects of materialism, which could separate them from their poor brethren.

"Only by becoming poor ourselves, by stripping away our complacency, will we be able to identify with the least of our brothers and sisters," Francis said in his homily at the Manila Cathedral where he celebrated Mass with Filipino faithful of the Church.

He said that trying to live in poverty, as Jesus Christ did, is threatened by "petty compromises" that one makes with the ways of the world, calling the attitude a "spiritual worldliness."

The Roman Pontiff had made his call to live in poverty and simplicity amid the world's desire for material possessions as a mark of his pontificate.

FULL TEXT: Pope Francis' Homily during the Manila Cathedral Mass

This was again reflected in his first homily in the Philippines, when he reminded the ranks of the Church in the predominantly Catholic nation to shake off complacency.

He also called the glaring social inequality in the Philippines as "scandalous" and polarizing.

"As ambassadors for Christ, we, bishops, priests and religious, ought to be the first to welcome his reconciling grace into our hearts ... It means rejecting worldly perspectives and seeing all things anew in the light of Christ," Pope Francis said.

He also encouraged a deep life of prayer and encounter with Jesus in the Gospel.

"Constant conversion, everyday conversion.   ... Conversion to the newness of the Gospel entails a daily encounter with the Lord in prayer. The saints teach us that this is the source of all apostolic zeal!" he said.

The pope on Friday afternoon will meet with and address thousands of Filipino families at the Mall of Asia Arena—an event he called one the "highlights" of his apostolic visit.