Pope Francis decries chasing 'likes' on social media

 By 
Colin Daileda
 on 
Original image replaced with Mashable logo
Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

Pope Francis has more than 7.4 million Twitter followers on his English-language account, but that doesn't mean he's chasing more.

The pope spoke on Sunday in Wynnewood, Pennsylvania against what he sees as a consumerist culture that is eroding personal relationships.

"I would dare say that at the root of so many contemporary situations is a kind of radical loneliness that so many people live in today," Francis said to an audience of American bishops at St. Charles Borromeo Seminary. "Running after the latest fad, a like, accumulating followers on any of the social networks."

"Today consumerism determines what is important, consuming relationships, consuming friendships, consuming religions," Francis said. "Social bonds are a mere means for satisfaction of my needs."

The pope's morning speech came on the last day of his six-day tour of the American Northeast. He is expected to conclude his stay with an outdoor mass in Philadelphia that could draw around 1.5 million people.

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