If you’re a Catholic on Facebook, you may have seen this poem on your newsfeed today:

WE NEED SAINTS

We need saints without veil or cassock.
We need saints who wear jeans and sneakers.
We need saints who go to the movies, listen to music and hang out with friends.
We need saints who put God in first place, but who let go of their power.
We need saints who have time everyday to pray and who know how to date in purity and chastity, or who consecrate their chastity.
We need modern saints, Saints of the 21st century with a spirituality that is part of our time.
We need saints committed to the poor and the necessary social changes.
We need saints who live in the world and who are sanctified in the world, who are not afraid to live in the world.
We need saints who drink Coke and eat hot dogs, who wear jeans, who are Internet-savvy, who listen to CDs.
We need saints who passionately love the Eucharist and who are not ashamed to drink a soda or eat pizza on weekends with friends.
We need saints who like movies, the theater, music, dance, sports.
We need saints who are social, open, normal, friendly, happy and who are good companions.
We need saints who are in the world and know how to taste the pure and nice things of the world but who aren’t of the world.

Now, I love the sentiment of the poem. I wholeheartedly believe the Church needs lay men and women to become saints “without veil or cassock”, saints who are willing to live in the world but not of the world.

Unfortunately, this poem has been mis-attributed as a direct quote from Pope Francis at World Youth Day in Rio de Janeiro, an event that will continue through this week. [Link]