Vatican City: Taking care of the ill and the weak will bring Catholics close to Jesus Christ, Pope Francis said on Thursday.

"The one who helps the sick and needy touches the flesh of Christ, alive and present in our midst," he wrote on his Twitter account.

In a tweet a day earlier, Francis urged the Catholic Church to be "ever more attentive and caring" towards the weak in society.

Francis now has over 22 million followers on his @Pontifex account, published in nine languages, il Sismografo website reported.

(IANS)