VATICAN CITY -- Homeless people were given front-row seats in St Peter's Basilica Sunday during a Mass celebrated by Pope Francis who told the congregation that "spiritual sclerosis" sets in when people are only interested in objects to be produced rather than people to be loved.

 "Your presence here helps us to be attuned to God's wavelength, to see what he does," the pontiff said in his homily, "He sees not only appearances, but turns his gaze to the 'humble and contrite in spirit'.

 "it is the symptom of a spiritual sclerosis when we are only interested in objects to be produced rather than in persons to be loved," Francis said.

  "This is the origin of the tragic contradiction of our age -- as progress and new possibilities increase, which is a good thing, less and less people are able to benefit from them."

 "This is a great injustice that should concern us much more than knowing when or how the world will end. BEcause we cannot go about our business quietly at home while Lazarus lies at the door. There is no peace in the homes of the prosperous as long as justice is lacking in the home of everyone."  

 The service for street people and the emarginated was the penultimate by the Argentine pontiff in his special 'Jubilee of Mercy' that was drawing to an end Sunday with the closure of 'Holy Doors' for pilgrims in major churches in Rome including the basilicas of St. John Lateran, St Mary Major and St Paul's Outside the Walls.

 "Let us open our eyes to our neighbour, especially to our brothers and sisters who are forgotten and excluded," the pope said, "that is where the Church's magnifying glass is pointed."  

 Many of the infrastructure projects due to be carried out in Rome for the Holy Year still have to be completed or begun. Out of 138 million euros allocated by the Italian government for the Jubilee, 25 million euros still have to be spent, il Messaggero newspaper reported.

 jp