Pope Francis lamented that some people are quite good at masking their true faith and like to pretend that they are true children of God when in reality, their love for Him is made out of nothing but empty words.
The head of the Roman Catholic Church described these people as "Christian parrots," according to RT.
Speaking at a congregation in Guidonia Montecelio near Rome, Italy on Sunday, the Pope said Christians must accompany their prayers with virtuous deeds to serve God better.
"If I say I'm Catholic and every Sunday I go to mass but then I don't talk to my parents, I don't help my grandparents, the poor, I don't visit the sick, then there's no point," he said. "In that way, we're nothing but a Christian parrot: words, words, words."
The pope then asked if the people remember a certain song that talks about bearing witness to faith. The song says true faith requires "word, heart and hands" to do God's work, such as spending time with one's family.
Pope Francis admitted that he's guilty of being a Christian parrot at "certain times," most especially during his youth when he experienced "moments of darkness" in his faith. As a result, his spiritual life "decreased a lot."
"Some days we can't see faith, everything is in darkness," but with a little bit of time, the pope assured that "we rediscover it."
"We understand that there is darkness, we must respect this darkness of the soul. We don't study to get faith, we receive it like a gift," the pope explained.
Pope Francis also talked about forgiveness. While he knows it's difficult to forgive oppressors or criminals, he said it's something that Christians should do.
"It's difficult. I knew an old woman who was strong, bright, whose husband used to hit her. You should always forgive but sometimes to forget is difficult," he said, according to the Independent.
