“How many times we have seen in the churches even a list of prices for baptism, or for various wishes? The world sees scandal “said the Argentine Pope and added that nobody can “rent a Church” since “it is impossible to worship god and money at the same time” .
The pontiff also wanted to make clear that “salvation is something given for free” and that “there are two things that the people of the Lord can not forgive: the priest who is avaricious and the one who mistreats people” .
However, the immediate answer by the archbishop of the city of Genoa Angelo Baniasko -who is also chairman of the Assembly of Catholic Bishops of Italy was that “every mite of believers is freely given and is welcome as a contribution to the material needs of the Church.”