Pope Francis delivered an impassioned sermon yesterday, during which he quoted a passage from the bible that said some sinners deserve to be tied to a rock and cast into the sea. 
 
 The Argentinian religious leader said Christians who donated money to the church but stole from the state were leading a "double life" and were sinners who should be punished. 
 
 Quoting from the Gospel of St Luke in the New Testament, he said: “Jesus says 'It would be better for him if a millstone were put around his neck and he be thrown into the sea',” because "where there is deceit, the Spirit of God cannot be". 
 
 Without directly mentioning corruption within the Catholic Church, in his sermon he described those involved in corrupt practices as “whitewashed tombs”, explaining that “they appear beautiful from the outside, but inside they are full of dead bones and putrefaction.” He said: "A life based on corruption is varnished putrefaction.” 
 
 His sermon came during his daily morning Mass inside Casa Santa Marta, the guest house he has lived in since being elected pontiff in March. 
 
 On Friday, he also condemned corruption, asserting parents who earned through bribes or corrupt practices had "lost their dignity", and fed their children "unclean bread". 
 
 He said: "Some of you might say: 'But this man only did what everyone does!'. But no, not everyone! Some company administrators, some public administrators, some government administrators… perhaps there are not even very many. But it’s that attitude of the shortcut, of the most comfortable way to earn a living. 
 
 "These poor people who have lost their dignity in the habit of bribes take with them not the money they have earned, but only their lack of dignity!" 
 
 He compared receiving bribes as "like a drug" as people become "dependent" on the habit of bribes. 
 
 The Pope has made clear his intentions to tackle corruption within the Vatican and held a meeting with the Church's highest ranking whistleblower in October, after telling the Church in May that it “must go forward... with a heart of poverty, not a heart of investment or of a businessman” reminding it that "St Peter did not have a bank account”. ||||| Pope Francis kisses and blesses Michael Keating, 10, of Elverson, Pa., after spotting him on the tarmac of the Philadelphia airport. Keating has cerebral palsy and is the son of the director of the high school band that performed at Francis's airport arrival. Read the article. 
 
 The pope’s actions are changing the rules at the Vatican. 
 
 The new prelate is rewriting the rules in his first year at the Vatican. Here are a few of Francis’s symbolic moves and statements. 
 
 The new prelate is rewriting the rules in his first year at the Vatican. Here are a few of Francis’s symbolic moves and statements. 
 
 ROME — Pope Francis could be at risk from the ‘Ndrangheta organized crime organization, according to a leading anti-mob prosecutor who has himself been the target of threats from the mafia. 
 
 Nicola Gratteri, 55, a state prosecutor in the southern Italian region of Calabria, where the ‘Ndrangheta is most active, said the pope’s effort to reform the church is making the ‘Ndrangheta “very nervous.” 
 
 The organization is considered by experts in Italy to be the most dangerous, most unified and most difficult to penetrate mafia-type organization in the country. 
 
 “I cannot say if the organization is in a position to do something like this, but they are dangerous and it is worth reflecting on,” Gratteri warned. “If the godfathers can find a way to stop him, they will seriously consider it. 
 
 RELATED: Pope Francis and his acts of humility 
 
 “Those who have up until now profited from the influence and wealth drawn from the church are getting very nervous,” he added. “For many years, the mafia has laundered money and made investments with the complicity of the church. But now the pope is dismantling the poles of economic power in the Vatican, and that is dangerous.” 
 
 Gratteri noted that in southern Italy organized crime figures have strong and high-profile relationships with local church leaders, who help give the crime figures legitimacy. 
 
 He also said most Italian mobsters are practicing Catholics, despite their violent activities. 
 
 “A gunman from the ‘Ndrangheta will pray and kiss his rosary before shooting someone,” said Gratteri, who has been under police protection against the mob since the 1980s. 
 
 Gratteri was named by Italian Prime Minister Enrico Letta to head a special committee aimed at curbing the influence of organized crime. 
 
 Francis has spoken out strongly against organized crime in the past, specifically naming the country’s four main organized crime groups —including the ‘Ndrangheta — in May. 
 
 On Monday (Nov. 11), Francis spoke out against corruption, quoting Jesus from the Gospel of St. Luke: “It would be better for (the corrupt man) if a millstone were put around his neck and he be thrown into the sea.” 
 
 Security issues have been an area of concern since the early days of Francis’ papacy because of his willingness to break protocol to engage with the faithful. 
 
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– Pope Francis' anti-corruption stance could put him at risk from "the most dangerous, most unified, and most difficult to penetrate" mafia clan in Italy, an Italian prosecutor tells the Washington Post. As "Pope Francis is dismantling centers of economic power in the Vatican," mobsters are "nervous and agitated" that their dealings with corrupt bishops could come to an end, says prosecutor Nicola Gratteri, who's battled the 'Ndrangheta mob clan, told an Italian daily, per the Guardian. "I don't know if organized crime is in a position to do something, but certainly they are thinking about it." Gratteri continued: "'Ndrangheta and the church walk hand in hand ... The mafia that invests, that launders money, that therefore has the real power, is the mafia which has got rich for years" off of its alliance with the church. But after a fiery speech against corruption earlier this week and several pope-backed reforms in the Vatican, "it could be dangerous," said Gratteri. Even though about 88% of jailed mobsters are religious, and a 'Ndrangheta mobster often prays before killing, "they wouldn't hesitate" to "trip him up," Gratteri said.