Pope Francis Addresses Vatican Curia

Pope Francis addressed the Vatican Curia warning them against vainglory and feeling superior to others. In what the Pontiff termed a “disease of feeling immortal” is dangerous because as he explained it often leads to a loss of compassion.

This address is a reminder that even the members of the Curia, men who have dedicated their lives to the Catholic Church, are prone to the same sinful ways as you or I. The human condition to seek rivalry, to gossip, and to advance your own goals at the expense of others were areas which Pope Francis covered in his annual Christmas address to the Curia.

The Pope explained that the loss of compassion for others spirals into a situation where the members of the Curia become “procedural machines rather than men of God”. This is an important point which is relative to our own lives in this increasingly self-absorbed and cold society. I see this lack of compassion often in the business world where people treat each other with a lack of regard for the other person’s feelings or emotions.

The Holy Father continued by saying that the Vatican bureaucracy was sick and in need of healing and reform. He likened the condition to “spiritual Alzheimer’s” in saying that those in his audience were forgetting why they are men of God. It was a reminder to me that bishops, priests, and other members of the Church hierarchy are human and fallible.

I know myself and other Catholics can really struggle at times with balancing their time for prayer and service to others with the demands of their career and family. The address of Pope Francis to the Curia revealed to me that the holy men in the Vatican can struggle with similar issues; that they are prone to listening to the demands of society and not the messages of the Gospel.

The Pontiff also addressed the negative effects of rivalry and gossip on the functionality of the Curia. He said that these sinful traits are a result of vainglory and often are the byproduct of one person trying to gain favor with their superiors. The Pope likened this behavior to a disease in the Church. I know I have seen that type of rivalry in the professional workplace and I assume that I am surprised by these remarks because I think of the Vatican as being above that type of pettiness.

However the Church is an institution and it is apparently, from the Pope’s remarks, is not immune to certain issues which plague other institutions. The Pope continued by stating that “only the Holy Spirit and the Soul of Christ can protect us from disease” and that “we have to cure ourselves of these. Let us grow together in Christ”.

In the Christmas season this address by Pope Francis served as a reinforcement to me that we are all sinners. The wonderful news about that though is that Jesus Christ came into the world at Christmas to save us all from the perils of sin. Christ came so that we may have eternal life with him, it does not matter if we have made mistakes. In fact, He came to save those who have fallen down, who have sinned. That is the amazing power of His mercy and love. Merry Christmas!