Pope Francis says it is better to be an atheist than a bad Christian

Pope Francis suggested that if the person is a Christian, who exploits people, leads a double life or manages a dirty business, then it is better to be called an atheist rather than a believer.

"So many Christians are like this, and these people scandalise others. How many times have we heard -- all of us, around the neighbourhood and elsewhere - 'But to be a Catholic like that, it's better to be an atheist.' It is that: scandal," CNN quoted Francis as saying.

In the Catholic Church, causing scandal is also a grave offence. Examples of such sins abound, the Pope said, from money launderers to business owners who take beach vacations while stiffing their employees.

Francis' sermon, as is customary, was an extended riff on Thursday's Mass readings, which include a passage from the Gospel on Mark. In it, Jesus says it is better to be drowned than to cause others to sin.

Drawing on that passage, the Catholic Catechism says scandals include business leaders who encourage fraud, teachers who agitate students and manipulators who turn people away from moral values.