Facebook and Consumerism are ‘Eating Us Alive’, Laments Pope Francis

Moscow (PNA/Sputnik) — People’s lives today are ruled by consumerism which also leads them to overuse social networks rather than engage in real communication, the Pope bemoaned in an address to bishops in Philadelphia.

People’s lives today are ruled by the latest trend that the culture of consumerism dictates to them, instead of focusing on human relationships, Pope Francis complained in an address to bishops on Saturday.

Using the metaphor of the supermarket to describe modern life, the Pope compared today’s culture with the neighborhood stores of the past, which were centered on human relationships.

Rather than conducting business on the basis of personal relationships and trust, today’s culture is determined by consumption, said the Pope, who made his comments during an address to the World Meeting of Families in Philadelphia on Sunday, the final day of his visit to the US.

Pope Francis arrived in Washington on Tuesday for a six-day visit, prior to which he spent four days in Cuba, where he met with President Fidel Castro in Havana.

In Sunday’s address, the Pope said that because of its focus on consumerism, modern culture “discards everything that is no longer ‘useful’ or ‘satisfying’ for the tastes of the consumer,” which leads to loneliness and economic inequality.

“We have turned our society into a huge multicultural showcase tied only to the tastes of certain ‘consumers,’ while so many others only ‘eat the crumbs which fall from their masters’ table,'” said the Pope, quoting the New Testament’s Gospel of Mark.

The Pope, who has 7.4 million Twitter followers, identified the popularity of social networks is one symptom of the modern malaise.

“Running after the latest fad, accumulating ‘friends’ on one of the social networks, we get caught up in what contemporary society has to offer,” which he summed up as “loneliness with fear of commitment in a limitless effort to feel recognized.”

“Knowledge of life’s true pleasures only comes as the fruit of a long-term, generous investment of our intelligence, enthusiasm and passion,” advised the Pope. (PNA/Sputnik) LGI/SSC