Pope Francis sharply criticises Vatican bureaucracy
23.12.2014 13:00
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.
Pope Francis - the first Latin American pontiff - also criticised "those who look obsessively at their own image".
He has demanded reform of the Curia.
There was silence at the end of the Pope's speech.
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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".
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.
(BBC)
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