Pope Francis on the general audience at the Vatican said that children who fail to visit their parents for long months will go to hell.

The National Catholic Reporter cite that Pope Francis on the general audience in the Vatican dedicated his talks to the elderly and how they are treated nowadays.

"It is sickening to see the elderly discarded, it is ugly, and it is a sin. Abandoning the elderly is a mortal sin," Pope Francis said, according to the Daily Mail. "Children who do not visit their elderly and ill parents have mortally sinned, understand?"

The Pope added that if there is no honor given to the elderly, there is no future for the young people. He then condemns the profit-based society who thinks that older people are not productive and they are a burden on the society.

Furthermore, Pope Francis said that if children will not treat the elderly well, a child will not be treated as well when he becomes older. He added that children must not categorize the elderly as an alien because they are human beings.

The Holy Father shares a story when he visited a care home and spoke at the elderly residents in Buenos Aires. Most of the elderly said that they had many children and asked them when the last time their children visited them. He found out that it was eight months without a visit from the children and he was disappointed that the elderly are abandoned for eight months.

Pope Francis added that a society who takes for granted the importance of the elderly "is a perverse society" and thus the church is faithful to the word of God and cannot allow such degeneration.

Meanwhile, before the audience, Pope Francis met briefly with 60 bishops from 35 countries who participated in a conference, which is sponsored by the Focolare movement.