(pseudo) Catholic politicians
On the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness. (Mt 23: 28)
“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of the bones of the dead and everything unclean. In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness. “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You build tombs for the prophets and decorate the graves of the righteous. And you say, ‘If we had lived in the days of our ancestors, we would not have taken part with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.’ So you testify against yourselves that you are the descendants of those who murdered the prophets. Go ahead, then, and complete what your ancestors started! (Mt 23: 27-32)
Hypocrites violate the commandments because when performing formal acts of devotion they mistakenly believe they have done well, with a clear conscience, and in reverence for God. Hypocrites’ behavior is inconsistent because they are apparently devout, but essentially are sinners. The hypocrite’s witness is actually a counter-witness, because not only it is not credible, but also it is even harmful. For example think of politicians (right-wing, left-wing or centrist politicians, it doesn't matter) who call themselves Catholics just because they go to Mass or because they hold a rosary in their hands... Looking at them one might think that Catholics are like them, but in reality their real behavior is often far removed from Christianity.
