The Catholic Church should concentrate less on procedures and liturgy and get “dirty” and “bruised” by reaching out to people in the street, Pope Francis wrote in a document that was released on Tuesday and is seen as a manifesto for his papacy.
The 224—page “apostolic exhortation” called The Joy of the Gospel summarised many of the themes and ideas that the Argentine—born Jorge Mario Bergoglio has raised since his election in March.
“I prefer a church which is bruised, hurting and dirty because it has been out on the streets, rather than a church which is unhealthy from being confined and from clinging to its own security,” the pontiff wrote.
Francis, who has consistently shunned Papal pomp and protocol, railed against an “ostentatious preoccupation for the liturgy... without any concern that the Gospel have a real impact on God’s faithful people. In this way, the life of the Church turns into a museum piece or something which is the property of a select few,” he warned.
