"When the pursuit of profit prevails, others are no longer human beings, they no longer have a face, they are mere objects to be exploited," said the Pope at a meeting with members of the Italian Council Against Usury in the Vatican on Saturday.
In the end, people also lose themselves and their souls.
Leo described usury as a "grave, sometimes very grave sin" that brings entire nations to their knees. In addition, usury can plunge families into a crisis, "it can wear down the mind and heart to such an extent that suicide is seen as the only way out".
Apparent help becomes torture
It often affects the most vulnerable, such as victims of gambling, said the Pope, but also those who are going through difficult times, such as extraordinary medical treatments. "What initially appears to be help becomes torture in the long run," said the Pope.
The questions that arise again and again are always the same: "Are the less fortunate not human? Don't the weak have the same dignity as we do?" The value of our societies and our future depended on the answer to these questions, said Leo XIV. "Either we regain our moral and spiritual dignity or we fall into a swamp of filth."