Pope Francis issued a blistering critique on Monday of the Vatican bureaucracy that serves him, denouncing how some people lust for power at all costs, live hypocritical double lives and suffer from “spiritual Alzheimer’s” that has made them forget they’re supposed to be joyful men of God.
Pope Francis’ Christmas greeting to the cardinals, bishops and priests who run the Holy See was no joyful exchange of holiday good wishes. Rather, it was a sobering catalogue of 15 sins of the Curia that Francis said he hoped would be atoned for and cured in the New Year.
“The Curia is called on to always improve itself and grow in communion, holiness and knowledge to fulfil its mission,” Pope Francis said. “But even it, as any human body, can suffer from ailments, dysfunctions, illnesses.”
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Pope Francis, who is the first Latin American Pope and never worked in the Italian-dominated Curia before he was elected, has not shied from complaining about the gossiping, careerism and bureaucratic power intrigues that afflict the Holy See.
The cardinals were not amused. The speech was met with tepid applause, and few were smiling as Pope Francis listed one by one the 15 “Ailments of the Curia” that he had drawn up, complete with footnotes and Biblical references.
The annual Christmas greeting comes at a tense time for the Curia, the central administration of the Holy See which governs the 1.2-billion strong Catholic Church.
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