Pope Francis warns Church of dangers of inaction
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Buy SPH photosVATICAN CITY (AFP) - Pope Francis has warned that the troubled Catholic Church risks becoming little more than a charity with no spiritual foundations if it fails to undergo renewal.
The 76-year-old Argentinian told the cardinals who elected him as Latin America's first pope that the Church could "end up a compassionate NGO".
"I would like all of us after these days of grace to have the courage to walk in the presence of the Lord," Francis said in his first mass on Thursday, amid the splendours of the Sistine Chapel.
He warned the cardinals against "the worldliness of the Devil".
