Pope Francis Says Do Not Exploit Religion For Politics

Pope Francis recently paid a visit to the city of Presov in eastern Slovakia and presided over a long service known as "Divine Liturgy." This practice originated from a Byzantine rite that is used by both Eastern Catholic and Orthodox Churches.

The Pope centered his homily on the deeper meaning of Christianity and said that crosses and crucifixes are not sincerely used by Christians.

He also warned Christians that religion should not be leveraged for political gains but to be solely used to spread the faith and the Word of God.

Francis, whose real name is Jorge Mario Bergoglio, spoke to around 30,000 worshippers who have eagerly waited to see him.

He said that even though Christians are hanging crucifixes around their necks, in their cars, and in their homes, most of them have no real relationship with Jesus Christ.

"What good is this, unless we stop to look at the crucified Jesus and open our hearts to him," he said.

Francis added that people should not reduce the cross to an "object of devotion, much less to a political symbol, to an emblem of religious and social status."

In Hungary, the Pope and Prime Minister Viktor Orban have talked about the current situations in the country, including Orban's anti-immigrant and nationalist policies.

Orban vowed that he would closely assess the Holy Father's opinions about Hungary's issues in the name of faith.

Orban also asked the Pope to pray for Christianity in Hungary, and protect it from the challenges that the country is currently facing.

In his liturgy, Francis warned Christians not to use religion for "culture wars", saying that it would create a big rift among the faithful and cause more division for the world.

Slovakia's far-right Kotlebovci-People's Party Our Slovakia, and self-proclaimed Christians, said that it would prevent immigration of mostly Muslim refugees, a plan in which the Pope is most concerned about.

The Pope said that religion was not meant to be used to create divisions, but to create unity among people that would lead to a better world.

The cross is not "a flag to wave, but the pure source of a new way of living," Francis said.