Priests who avoid the lure of money, power and influence can be good shepherds and do not know bitterness, Pope Francis said in a homily on Tuesday at the Vatican.
"When a pastor during his life was attached to other things, rather than to the faithful - for example to power, money, being part of a clique, to many things - then at his death he won’t be alone," Francis said during mass at the Vatican hotel.
"Maybe his grandchildren (heirs) will be there waiting for him to die so they can see what possessions they can take away with them," Francis said.
Priests who are faithful to Christ's teachings in the Gospels know they can expect the same end that Jesus faced but they know God will stay close by and won't abandon them, the pontiff stressed.
"When a pastor lives like this he is not embittered: maybe he feels desolate but he has that certainty that the Lord is beside him," Francis said.
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