Pope Francisco lists 15 sins of the Curia By: Vatican / AP0

RELIGION AND FAITH
Pope Francisco lists 15 sins of the Curia
By: Vatican / AP0
Francis Pope during his message to cardinals and bishops in a Christmas event at The Vatican. La Prensa / AP
Francis Pope during his message to cardinals and bishops in a Christmas event at The Vatican. La Prensa / AP
Pope Francisco on Monday issued a strong criticism of the Vatican bureaucracy, saying that officials have excessive thirst for power, leading styles of false life and suffering from "an evil spiritual Alzheimer's" because they forget that their duty is to serve God.

Their Christmas greetings to cardinals, bishops and priests in charge of the Holy See was not an expression of good wishes but a rough holiday catalog of what the pope called "the evils of the Curia" which he said should provoke reflection and repentance.

Previously Francisco has not hesitated to denounce the intrigue and infighting plaguing the Vatican, but as amended gaining strength, seems to be more confident in exposing the flaws of the Holy See.

Francisco denounced "terrorism gossip" and how you can "cold-blooded murder reputation of colleagues and brothers", how the formation of elites can "enslave its members and become a cancer that threatens the harmony of the body" and kill him . He spoke of how those who lie about their lives are hypocrites, "typical of a mediocre spiritual void that can not be compensated by any academic degree".

"The duty of the Curia is permanently improve itself and grow in communion, holiness and knowledge to fulfill its mission," Francisco said, "but even she, like any human body can suffer from diseases, defects and diseases."

Francisco, the first pontiff of Latin American origin and someone who never worked in the Vatican bureaucracy, has not hesitated to denounce the culture of rumors, excessive ambitions and power struggles affecting the Holy See, but as reforms have taken strength, he seemed to be more willing to uncover deficiencies in the hierarchy.

The speech was not well received by the cardinals.

Few clapped and no smiles as Francisco enumerated one by one "the evils of the Curia," which even mentioned in a footnote explanations and biblical quotes.

The annual meeting is held in tense moments for the Curia. Francisco and his nine top aides are developing plans to restructure the Holy See, merging departments to make them more efficient.

Vatican finances are also being restructured. The consultant in charge of financial matters, Cardinal George Pell, set new standards of oversight to congregations used to being independent and not having to show their records.

However, it was perhaps the same Pell to Francis meant when he complained about those who crave power even when this means defame or disparage others "even in newspapers or magazines, to be presented as more capable ... in the name of justice and transparency ".

Pell recently published an editorial in the British Catholic Herald in declaring that his department found that Vatican finances are more robust than previously thought, "because hundreds of millions of euros were deposited on sectional accounts that were not in books accounting ".

The Vatican later clarified that the accounts were not hidden and there was illegal activity, but the funds just were not on the books of account of the Vatican.

This weekend, the Jesuit magazine America reported that an internal memo Vatican Pell rejected the claim that the money was found, stating that the accounts in the Secretary of State were public knowledge, duly registered, used to finance deficits and special projects and in fact had been well managed over the years.

Francisco listed as the main evil "immortal, immune or essential feeling". He continued: vanity, craving material goods, have a "hard core", praising the chiefs to collect personal advantage, showing "a funeral face", being "too rigid, tough, arrogant" especially toward subordinates.

Some mentioned practices could be considered rather positive things, such as working hard and plan well in advance, but the pontiff said that those who do not take time to be with family end up stressed and planners with excessive detail all the goodness is lost floored by "freshness, fantasy and novelty" of the Holy Spirit.

"How good it makes us have a good sense of humor," he said.

At the end of the speech, Francisco asked the prelates to pray that "heal the wounds of sin in all of us" and that both the Church and the Curia are healthy.