Real charity should 'get hands dirty', pope tells young people

Pope Francis gestures on the day he meets with aid and charity representatives at "Centro Paroquial de Serafina" during his apostolic journey to Portugal on the occasion of the XXXVII World Youth Day, in Lisbon, Portugal, August 4, 2023. REUTERS/Violeta Santos Moura

LISBON (Reuters) - Pope Francis visited a Church-run social centre in a low-income Lisbon neighbourhood Friday, urging young people to shun "distilled," orderly lives where everything seems perfect but to "get your hands dirty" by helping the needy.

During his address at the St. Vincent de Paul parochial centre in the Serafina neighbourhood, Francis said he was having trouble with his glasses and found it hard to read, so he put aside his prepared speech and went off script.