(CNN) If you're a Christian who exploits people, leads a double life or manages a "dirty" business, perhaps it's better not to call yourself a believer, Pope Francis suggested in a sermon Thursday in Rome. "So many Christians are like this, and these people scandalize others," Francis said during morning Mass at Casa Santa Marta, according to Vatican Radio. "How many times have we heard -- all of us, around the neighborhood and elsewhere -- 'But to be a Catholic like that, it's better to be an atheist.' Examples of such scandals abound, the Pope said, from money launderers to business owners who take beach vacations while stiffing their employees. Francis' sermon, as is customary, was an extended riff on Thursday's Mass readings , which include a passage from the Gospel on Mark in which Jesus says it is better to be drowned than to cause others to sin.

Source: CNN February 23, 2017 15:37 UTC