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Pope Francis Prays For The Poor In Rome's Lavish Shopping District

Pope Francis On Shopping Season: 'Don't Forget The Poor'
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Pope Francis looks up at the statue of the Virgin Mary, on the occasion of the Immaculate Conception feast, in Rome, Sunday, Dec. 8, 2013. Francis, in the heart of Rome's fanciest shopping district, has prayed that the poor are never forgotten. His appearance Sunday at the foot of the Spanish Steps follows a papal tradition of public prayer before a statue representing Mary on Dec. 8, a church holiday honoring the mother of Jesus. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)

As Rome's Christmas shopping season officially kicked off on December 8, Pope Francis paid a personal visit to Via Condotti, a street in the heart of the shopping district lined with luxurious stores like Dior, Armani, Prada, Louis Vuitton, and Cartier.

He prayed aloud in front of a statue of Mary for people to "never be left indifferent to the cries of the poor," reports The Washington Post. December 8 marks a church holiday honoring Mary, mother of Jesus, known as Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception and it is a papal tradition to offer a public prayer on this day.

He lived up to his reputation as the People's Pope, sitting with his chauffeur in the front seat of his Ford Focus as he drove from the Vatican to Rome's Spanish Steps, to pray in front of the statue of Our Lady Of The Immaculate Conception, reports La Stampa. He prayed that Mary would help everyone "to remain listening, attentively to the voice of the Lord," so that "the cry of the poor may not leave us indifferent, the suffering of the sick and the one who is in need may not find us distracted, the solitude of the elderly and the fragility of children may move us," and that everyone “may always love and venerate every human life”.

Pope Francis has been a vocal advocate for the poor and downtrodden, attacking the current economic state of the world which has the potential to foster inequality. He criticized "unfettered capitalism" in his apostolic exhortation "Evangelii Gaudium," and will be leading a worldwide wave of prayer for the hungry on Dec. 10th, Human Rights Day.

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Before You Go

Pope Francis Quotes On The Poor
Stealing from the tables of the the poor(01 of21)
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Throwing food away is like stealing from the tables of the the poor, the hungry! I encourage everyone to reflect on the problem of thrown away and wasted food to identify ways and means that, by seriously addressing this issue, are a vehicle of solidarity and sharing with the needy. Read more (credit:AP)
'Money Has To Serve, Not To Rule!'(02 of21)
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Pope Francis has denounced the global financial system, blasting the "cult of money" that he says is tyrannizing the poor and turning humans into expendable consumer goods.Read more (credit:AP)
'Poor Church For The Poor'(03 of21)
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'Oh, how I would like a poor Church, and for the poor."Read more (credit:Getty Images)
Men And Women Sacrificed To the Idols Of Profit (04 of21)
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Man is not in charge today, money is in charge, money rules. God our Father did not give the task of caring for the earth to money, but to us, to men and women: we have this task! Instead, men and women are sacrificed to the idols of profit and consumption: it is the "culture of waste." On World Environment Day (credit:AP)
'If Banks Fail It is A Tragedy, If People Die Of Hunger It's Nothing'(05 of21)
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"Today, and it breaks my heart to say it, finding a homeless person who has died of cold, is not news. Today, the news is scandals, that is news, but the many children who don't have food - that's not news. This is grave. We can't rest easy while things are this way."Read more (credit:AP)
Choose A Humble Car(06 of21)
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Pope Francis waves to faithful upon his arrival at the Pontiff's residence of Castel Gandolfo, near Rome, Sunday July 14, 2013, in a Ford Focus.The down-to-earth Pope called for greater austerity from religious figures last week, saying, “It hurts me when I see a priest or nun with the latest-model car. You can’t do this. A car is necessary to do a lot of work, but, please, choose a more humble one. If you like the fancy one, just think about how many children are dying of hunger in the world." The Ford Focus is a compact car with a starting sticker price of just about $16,000.Read more (credit:AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
'Slave Labor Goes Against God' (07 of21)
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"A headline that really struck me on the day of the tragedy in Bangladesh was 'Living on 38 euros a month'. That is what the people who died were being paid. This is called slave labour." "Not paying fairly, not giving a job because you are only looking at balance sheets, only looking at how to make a profit. That goes against God!" Read more (credit:AP)
(08 of21)
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"To live charitably means not looking out for our own interests, but carrying the burdens of the weakest and poorest among us." (credit:@pontifex)
(09 of21)
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"We cannot sleep peacefully while babies are dying of hunger and the elderly are without medical assistance." (credit:@pontifex)
(10 of21)
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"There are many people in need in today’s world. Am I self-absorbed in my own concerns or am I aware of those who need help?" (credit:@pontifex)
(11 of21)
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"True charity requires courage: let us overcome the fear of getting our hands dirty so as to help those in need." (credit:@pontifex)
(12 of21)
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"The “throw-away” culture produces many bitter fruits, from wasting food to isolating many elderly people." (credit:@pontifex)
(13 of21)
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"If money and material things become the center of our lives, they seize us and make us slaves." (credit:@pontifex)
(14 of21)
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"Let us ask the Lord to give us the gentleness to look upon the poor with understanding and love, devoid of human calculation and fear." (credit:@pontifex)
(15 of21)
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"Take care of God’s creation. But above all, take care of people in need." (credit:@pontifex)
(16 of21)
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"To live charitably means not looking out for our own interests, but carrying the burdens of the weakest and poorest among us." (credit:@pontifex)
(17 of21)
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"How marvellous it would be if, at the end of the day, each of us could say: today I have performed an act of charity towards others!" (credit:@pontifex)
No More 'Profit At Any Cost'(18 of21)
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"My thoughts turn to all who are unemployed, often as a result of a self-centred mindset bent on profit at any cost." (credit:@pontifex)
'Prayer, Humility, Charity'(19 of21)
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"Prayer, humility, and charity toward all are essential in the Christian life: they are the way to holiness." (credit:@pontifex)
'Moral And Material Poverty'(20 of21)
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"How many kinds of moral and material poverty we face today as a result of denying God and putting so many idols in his place!" (credit:@pontifex)
On Waste(21 of21)
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"Consumerism has accustomed us to waste. But throwing food away is like stealing it from the poor and hungry." (credit:@pontifex)
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