Rich people who enslave workers by paying them a pittance are '"bloodsuckers" who are committing a mortal sin, Pope Francis said Thursday in a sermon as he celebrated mass at the Vatican hotel.
"When riches are created by exploiting the people, by those rich people who exploit [others], they take advantage of the work of the people, and those poor people become slaves," Francis said, quoted by Vatican Radio.
And this kind of exploitation is taking place all over the world, Francis noted.
“I want to work.” “Good, they’ll make you a contract, from September to June.” Without a pension, without health care… Then they suspend it, and in July and August they have to eat air. And in September, they laugh at you about it."
"Those who do that are true bloodsuckers, and they live by spilling the blood of the people who they make slaves of labour," the pontiff added.
The enslavers of workers need to do "a great deal of penance, a great deal of restitution," to gain salvation, Francis warned in the strongly worded sermon.
