(ANSA) - Rome, June 15 - Christians and non-Christians must be united in the fight against corruption, a "cancer that consumes us", Pope Francis said Thursday.

In the preface to a new book, Corrosion, by Cardinal Peter Turkson, Francis said: "We, Christians and non-Christians, are snowflakes but if we unite we can become an avalanche: a strong and constructive movement.

"We must all work together, Christians, non-Christians, people of all faiths and non-believers, to fight this form of blasphemy, this cancer that consumes our lives".

The pontiff also said the Church must not be afraid of "purging itself of corruption".

Excerpts from the preface were published in Corriere della Sera newspaper.

Turkson, who wrote Corrosion with philosopher Vittorio V.

Alberti, is today chairing the Vatican's first international summit against corruption.

On the sidelines of the summit, Italy's anti-corruption czar Raffaele Cantone praised the pontiff for "taking the field against corruption".

"I think it is a great novelty because corruption has always seemed a political problem, a problem of civil society that concerns a part of the world. Instead, the pope has fielded, thanks to his experience, a new idea, aware that corruption hurts everyone, it hurts citizens and above all it hurts the poor," said Cantone.

