Pope suggests it's better to be an atheist than a bad Christian

It is better to be an atheist than a hypocritical Catholic, Pope Francis said in the sermon of his private morning mass in his residence. 

Taking a jibe at some members of his own church, Pope Francis said “It is a scandal to say one thing and do another. That is a double life. 

 "There are those who say 'I am very Catholic, I always go to Mass, I belong to this and that association'," the head of the 1.2 billion-member Roman Catholic Church said, according to a Vatican Radio transcript. 

He said some of these people should also say "'my life is not Christian, I don't pay my employees proper salaries, I exploit people, I do dirty business, I launder money, [I lead] a double life'."

"There are many Catholics who are like this and they cause scandal," he said. "How many times have we all heard people say 'if that person is a Catholic, it is better to be an atheist'."