ROME—In an effort to provide a striking visual to drive home the severity of both venial and mortal transgressions, Pope Francis made a demonstration of the dangers of sin to his flock Friday by revealing a cross-section of a soul that had been blackened and desiccated by wickedness. “I know the idea of ‘sin’ in and of itself can be somewhat abstract, so I thought I would demonstrate the effects of engaging in even casual transgressions against the Lord,” the pontiff said while displaying the glass case containing the warped, shriveled human spirit to the congregation at the San Pietro in Vincoli Church. “Now, you’re looking at this and you’re thinking this person was probably a pretty heavy sinner, someone who’s burning through ten pacts with God a day, but no—this soul came from a believer who only indulged their lust and gluttony at the occasional party. Even something as small as that is more than enough to do this. So, the next time you think that sinning is cool, or badass, or even just satisfying, you think long and hard about what you saw here today.” The Pope later admitted to omitting the fact that much of the grotesque withering and scarring evident upon any mortal soul can be attributed to everyday original sin, which is unavoidable and present from birth.

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