Pope Francis on Thursday urged Catholics to free themselves from the "slavery" of "false idols" and to seek God's help to do so, Vatican Radio reported.
"How many idols do I have that I can't free myself from and which enslave me?" Francis said in a sermon as he celebrated mass at the Vatican hotel, quoted by Vatican Radio.
He told Catholics to examine their consciences daily, especially during Lent, to see if they have strayed from the search for God's love.
"We go looking for love and well-being elsewhere and not for His love and so we stray from this God who brought us into the world," Francis said.
Errant Catholics must ask God for guidance on how to return to a righteous path, Francis went on.
"And the surprising thing is that God always waits for us like the father and the prodigal son," Francis said, referring to the New Testament parable in the Gospel of Luke.
