Pope Francis news 2015: Pontiff criticizes 'throw away culture' rampant in modern society

by Adrian Callahan, |
Pope Francis leads prayer overlooking Saint Peter's Square October 26, 2014. REUTERS/Max Rossi

Pope Francis has once again criticized economic injustice in the world, this time condemning what he called as the modern "throw away culture" supposedly fostered by big businesses.

In a speech before the association of Italian cooperative movements, the Roman Catholic leader condemned how the global economic order regard workers as easily replaceable.

This system, according to Pope Francis, makes laborers suffer long hours at work for very minimal pay, or even drive them to the labor black market.

"'You don't like it? Go home then.' What can you do in a world that works like this? Because there's a queue of looking for work. If you don't like it, someone else will," the pontiff said in an impromptu part of his speech.

He added that the current global climate was "created by the powers that control the economic and financial policies of the globalized world."

While drawing power to big business, this economic system also "seems fatally destined to suffocate hope and increase risks and threats" for the marginalized people around the world, according to the Pope.

He also quoted his namesake, St. Francis of Assisi, who called money as "the devil's dung."

To address this problem, the Argentinian pontiff urged economic cooperatives to work towards global wealth distribution.

"Money at the service of life can be managed in the right way by cooperatives, on condition that it is a real cooperative where capital does not have command over men but men over capital," Pope Francis said.