Don't treat homeless like 'stray dogs' says Francis

Catholics should show down-and-outs "great humanity" and not treat them like "stray dogs", Pope Francis said on Tuesday.

"Homeless people have great dignity. We need to speak to them with great humanity and not treat them as if they owe us something or like stray dogs," he told an Italian Catholic magazine for the homeless.

People who live on the streets immediately recognise truly compassionate behaviour from passers-by, Francis said.

"You can view a down-and-out like a person or like a dog. And they notice the different ways people look at them," Francis told ''Scarp de tenis' (Sneakers) magazine.

He also joked about people’s attitudes on giving money to the homeless.

“There are many arguments which justify why we should not give these alms: ‘I give money and he just spends it on a glass of wine!’ But a glass of wine is his only happiness in life!” Francis said.

"A bit of help is always right. But just tossing a coin without looking the person in the eye is not a Christian gesture," the pontiff stated.

Christians should also touch the hands of those they give money to, he said.