“The Pharisee could not conceive that Jesus would let himself be ‘contaminated’ by sinners”. He thought that if Jesus “were truly a prophet, He would know who they are and keep away from them to avoid being tainted, as if they were lepers”. Pope Francis said this at his general audience today – attended by some 27,000 faithful – explaining that this attitude is “typical of a certain way of understanding religion, based on the fact that God and sin are radically opposed”. “But the Word of God teaches us to distinguish between sin and the sinner”, Pope Francis recalled. “We should reject sin, but the sinners – that is, all of us! – are like sick people who need care, who need treatment from a doctor who comes close to them, visits them, and touches them in order to recover. But of course, in order to get better the sick must recognise that s/he needs a doctor!”.