Vatican City: Pope Leo XIV has issued a stern warning against usury, calling it a “grave sin” that corrodes human hearts, enslaves the vulnerable, and destabilizes societies. Speaking to members of Italy’s National Anti-Usury Council, the Pope urged renewed moral vigilance, justice, and mercy, praising the Church’s decades-long efforts to protect victims as a beacon of hope during the Jubilee Year.

In his address, Pope Leo XIV underscored that usury is not merely an economic or accounting problem it is a profound moral and spiritual failing. Drawing on Scripture, he invoked the prophet Isaiah to remind believers of God’s call to “break the chains of injustice and set the oppressed free.”

“How far from God,” he said, “is the attitude of those who crush people until they become slaves! U

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