Catholics need to enter
politics "for the common good" in response to the "culture of
illegality, corruption and conflict", Pope Francis said
Thursday.
"This, as Pope Paul VI affirmed, 'is the most noble and
demanding form of charity'," he continued.
Disengagement "would be to betray the mission of lay
Catholics, who are called to be salt and light in the world also
through this form of participation," Francis said.
The pope described politics as a "daily act of martyrdom:
to seek the common good without letting yourself be corrupted".
"There are many Catholics who have pursued politics not in
a dirty way, in a good way," Francis continued, citing Italian
statesman Alcide De Gasperi, founder of the Christian Democrat
party.
However, founding a Catholic party "is not the way" and
"isn't necessary", he said.
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