Pope Leo XIV has condemned usury as a “grave sin” that “corrupts the human heart” and enslaves the poor, urging renewed moral commitment to justice and mercy during the Church’s Jubilee Year.
Addressing members of Italy’s National Anti-Usury Council on Saturday, the Pope praised their three decades of work supporting victims of predatory lending and promoting ethical finance. He warned that usury, whether personal or systemic, “remains a painful and ancient wound” that devastates families and entire societies.
“Usury is not merely an accounting issue,” he said. “It destroys families, consumes the heart, and can even drive people to despair or suicide.” He added that what often appears as financial aid “soon reveals itself as a burden that suffocates,” particularly for those already in distress, such as families facing medical or gambling-related debts.
The Pope also condemned global financial systems that “bring entire peoples to their knees,” calling them “structures of sin” that perpetuate hunger and poverty. “Are the less fortunate not human beings?” he asked. “Either we reclaim our moral and spiritual dignity, or we fall into a pit of filth.”
Describing the Anti-Usury Council’s mission as a “sign of hope” in the Jubilee of Mercy, Pope Leo urged perseverance in defending human dignity. “When profit becomes our goal,” he said, “others lose their face and become objects to exploit—and in the end, we too lose our souls.”
