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Pope Francis sharply criticises Vatican bureaucracy | |
(about 4 hours later) | |
Pope Francis has sharply criticised the Vatican bureaucracy in a pre-Christmas address to cardinals, complaining of "spiritual Alzheimer's" and "the terrorism of gossip". | Pope Francis has sharply criticised the Vatican bureaucracy in a pre-Christmas address to cardinals, complaining of "spiritual Alzheimer's" and "the terrorism of gossip". |
He said the Curia - the administrative pinnacle of the Roman Catholic Church - was suffering from 15 "ailments", which he wanted cured in the New Year. | He said the Curia - the administrative pinnacle of the Roman Catholic Church - was suffering from 15 "ailments", which he wanted cured in the New Year. |
Pope Francis - the first Latin American pontiff - also criticised "those who look obsessively at their own image". | Pope Francis - the first Latin American pontiff - also criticised "those who look obsessively at their own image". |
He has demanded reform of the Curia. | He has demanded reform of the Curia. |
There was silence at the end of the Pope's speech. | |
Bigger say | |
Addressing the Curia on Monday, Pope Francis said some power-hungry clerics were guilty of "cold-bloodedly killing the reputation of their own colleagues and brothers". | |
He compared the performance of the church's civil servants to that of an orchestra playing "out of tune" because they fail to collaborate and have no team spirit. | |
Analysis: BBC's David Willey in Rome | |
Clearly Pope Francis is meeting opposition among the nearly 3,000 strong staff of the Italian-dominated Curia. | |
He had never worked in Rome before his election as pope last year, and - as a Vatican outsider from the other end of the world - is clearly frustrated by the slow-moving and creaking Vatican bureaucracy. | |
He is trying to reform it with the help of a new group of cardinal advisers he has called in from every continent to draw up a new Vatican constitution. | |
Before his election in March 2013, the pontiff encountered internal opposition to some of the reforms he wants to carry out. | |
He has set up a series of specialist bodies to fight corruption and poor management, appointing a team of advisers. | |
The Pope also launched a clean-up of the Vatican Bank, officially known as the Institute for the Works of Religion (IOR). The IOR has long had a poor reputation, after a succession of scandals. | |
Some of Curia's 15 'ailments': | |
Pope Francis has also suggested that the Curia's power - concentrated in Rome for centuries - could be diluted to some extent by giving Catholic bishops around the world a bigger say in Church doctrine. | |
The pontiff himself did not work in the Curia before he was elected. |