Pope: ‘Hypocritical love is worse than hate’

(Vatican Radio)  Pope Francis had special greetings and prayers for the people of Syria, Lebanon, and the Middle East at his General Audience on Wednesday, saying hypocritical love is worse than hate.

The Pope told them, “A love lived with hypocrisy is worse than hate: it is self-centeredness masked and dressed up as love.”

The Holy Father said, “Rather, true love, as St. Paul teaches us, ‘is patient, is kind. It is not jealous, love is not pompous, it is not inflated, it is not rude, it does not seek its own interests, it is not quick-tempered, it does not brood over injury, it does not rejoice over wrongdoing but rejoices with the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.’ (1Cor 13,4-7)”

He then blessed the pilgrims, saying “May the Lord protect you from the Evil One”.