Pope: no pay to pray Junno Arocho Esteves, Catholic Herald Friday, March 9, 2018 In his weekly audience on Wednesday, Pope Francis said no Catholic should feel compelled to put anything in the collection basket. “Nothing! Understood? Nothing! You do not pay for the Mass! The Mass is Christ’s sacrifice, which is free. Redemption is free. If you want to make an offering, do it. But you do not pay for it! This is important to understand!” © 2023 The Catholic Thing. All rights reserved. For reprint rights, write to: [email protected] The Catholic Thing is a forum for intelligent Catholic commentary. Opinions expressed by writers are solely their own.