Pope offers gentle critique of Vatican culture in Christmas greeting reminiscent of past
ROME (AP) — Pope Leo XIV On Monday, he called on Vatican cardinals to put aside their lust for power and personal interests. Footsteps of Pope Francis and used Christmas greetings to gently criticize his closest collaborators.
“Is it possible to make friends in the Roman Curia?” Leo asked the cardinals and bishops who make up the Curia, known as the Papal bureaucracy. “To establish real relations of brotherly friendship?”
The fact that Leo asked the question suggests that the American pope knows full well that the Curia remains a challenging and sometimes toxic workplace. Francis often vented in their annual Christmas address.
Leo did not repeat Francis’ harsher criticism that Vatican clergy sometimes suffer from “spiritual Alzheimer’s.” “cancer” of cliquesthe “corruption” of ambition and “selfish” idle gossip – and the tone was much more gentle and constructive.
But the underlying message remained. Leo, who was very close to Francis and worked at the Vatican for two years before his election, did not shy away from Francis’ tradition of using the opportunity of Christmas to encourage Vatican bureaucrats to examine their consciences and change their ways for the good of the church.
“After many years of service in the Curia, this anger sometimes occurs among us when we observe with disappointment that certain dynamics associated with the use of force, the desire to prevail, or the pursuit of personal interests are gradually changing,” Leo said.
“In the midst of daily toil, it is a blessing to find trusted friends where masks fall, no one is used or cast aside, real support is offered and each person’s worth and competence is respected, resentment and dissatisfaction are avoided.”
After Francis’ sometimes tumultuous 12-year papacy, in which Argentinian Jesuits at times alienated conservatives and some of the Vatican bureaucracy, Leo has generally sought to be more of a peacemaker who values unity.
On Monday, he called on Vatican bureaucrats to work to build community inside and outside the church.
“In a world scarred by discord, violence and conflict, but also where we witness a rise in aggression and anger exploited by the digital space and politics, Christmas invites everyone to work for peace and universal brotherhood,” he said.
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