--- description: The Pontiff slams the modern "dictatorship of an impersonal economy" title: Pope Francis Laments That the Poor Are Sacrificed at the 'Altar of Money' image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltef60796ac0251e5e/69885a8ee20a8706bfa8c3fd/pope-francis.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [World](/section/world/) ## World Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [faith](/tag/faith/) ## faith Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Pope Francis Laments That the Poor Are Sacrificed at the 'Altar of Money' ## Video: 2013 Person of the Year: Pope Francis Reimagines the Papacy [Watch (HLS stream): 2013 Person of the Year: Pope Francis Reimagines the Papacy](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/aYRnrfUV.m3u8) (3:30)  _Published 2013-12-11. From his comments on gays to his penchant for Twitter, Pope Francis's every move has garnered strong reactions from the world media._  by [Tanya Basu](/author/tanya-basu/)  ## Tanya Basu Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Jul 12, 2015 2:02 PM CUT  Pope Francis embraces children as he speaks at the the Acosta Nu pediatric hospital in San Lorenzo, on the outskirts of Asuncion, Paraguay on July 11, 2015. Pope Francis embraces children as he speaks at the the Acosta Nu pediatric hospital in San Lorenzo, on the outskirts of Asuncion, Paraguay on July 11, 2015.Cesar Olmedo—AP  by [Tanya Basu](/author/tanya-basu/)  ## Tanya Basu Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Jul 12, 2015 2:02 PM CUT Pope Francis [continued his anti-poverty campaign](http://edition.cnn.com/2015/07/10/living/pope-notes-prison/index.html "undefined") in Paraguay on Saturday, delivering some choice words for what capitalism has meant for the poor. “Certainly every culture needs economic growth and the creation of wealth,” the Pope told a gathering of civic leaders, in remarks [reported by CNN](http://edition.cnn.com/2015/07/10/living/pope-notes-prison/index.html "undefined"). But he harshly criticized the gap between the wealthy and the impoverished, saying: “I ask them not to yield to an economic model which is idolatrous, which needs to sacrifice human lives on the altar of money and profit.” Pope Francis did not mince words, CNN reports, comparing corrupt governments who persecuted political opponents to Hitler and Stalin. He went so far as to compare capitalism to an ancient practice in paganism of worshipping golden calves, saying the practice had “returned in a new and ruthless guise in the idolatry of money and the dictatorship of an impersonal economy.” **MORE** [What the Pope’s Left Hook in Bolivia Really Means](http://time.com/3953802/pope-francis-bolivia/ "undefined") The Pope’s message continued from his previous stop in Bolivia, where he advocated for a revolution against the “new colonialism” of austerity programs, citing their inordinate effect on the poor and their “sacred rights” of housing, work, and land. “Putting bread on the table, putting a roof over the heads of one’s children, giving them health and an education, these are essential for human dignity,” he said. \[[_CNN_](http://edition.cnn.com/2015/07/10/living/pope-notes-prison/index.html "undefined")\] ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3954755/pope-francis-poor-capitalism/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3954755/pope-francis-poor-capitalism/"},"headline":"Pope Francis Laments That the Poor Are Sacrificed at the 'Altar of Money'","datePublished":"2015-07-12T14:02:23.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-22T09:10:25.081Z","description":"The Pontiff slams the modern \"dictatorship of an impersonal economy\"","url":"https://time.com/3954755/pope-francis-poor-capitalism/","keywords":["faith","Religion","Pope Francis topic","Catholic Church","pope","catholicism"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltef60796ac0251e5e/69885a8ee20a8706bfa8c3fd/pope-francis.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Tanya Basu","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/tanya-basu/"}],"articleSection":"World","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltef60796ac0251e5e/69885a8ee20a8706bfa8c3fd/pope-francis.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Pope Francis","caption":"Pope Francis","creditText":"Cesar Olmedo—AP","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/world/","name":"World"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/faith/","name":"faith"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/3954755/pope-francis-poor-capitalism/","name":"Pope Francis Laments That the Poor Are Sacrificed at the 'Altar of Money'"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"2013 Person of the Year: Pope Francis Reimagines the Papacy","description":"From his comments on gays to his penchant for Twitter, Pope Francis's every move has garnered strong reactions from the world media.","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/aYRnrfUV/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2013-12-11T12:42:10.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/aYRnrfUV.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/3954755/pope-francis-poor-capitalism/","duration":"PT3M30S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/3954755/pope-francis-poor-capitalism/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```