It seems that whatever Pope Francis has to say, the secular media reads what they want into it and produce sensationalist articles to draw attention to their agenda, not his. The most recent example is this headline from USA Today on December 22, referring to the Holy Father’s address to members of the Curia:
Pope Francis: Merry Christmas, you power-hungry hypocrites
At least they didn’t use quotation marks to try to pass this as Pope Francis’ actual sentiments.
The article opened: “Pope Francis launched a blistering attack on the Vatican bureaucracy Monday, outlining a ‘catalogue of illnesses’ that plague the church’s central administration, including ‘spiritual Alzheimer’s’ and gossipy cliques.”
He also accused them of working too hard, planning too much, and not laughing enough. He noted that “priests are like airplanes, they make the headlines only when they fall, but there are many who fly. Many criticize, and few pray for them.”
The Pope listed fifteen ailments plaguing the Curia, and many were quick to join in the criticism. What struck me as I read the list is that I suffer from these ailments as well, as I would gather most of us do.
Rather than reading this list as an indictment of the Church’s administration, I recommend it as an examination of conscience for all of us to pray over as we prepare to celebrate the holy feast of Christmas.
A summary of these fifteen ailments of the Curia, as well as all of us, can be found by clicking HERE.
Pope Francis: Merry Christmas, you power-hungry hypocrites
At least they didn’t use quotation marks to try to pass this as Pope Francis’ actual sentiments.
The article opened: “Pope Francis launched a blistering attack on the Vatican bureaucracy Monday, outlining a ‘catalogue of illnesses’ that plague the church’s central administration, including ‘spiritual Alzheimer’s’ and gossipy cliques.”
He also accused them of working too hard, planning too much, and not laughing enough. He noted that “priests are like airplanes, they make the headlines only when they fall, but there are many who fly. Many criticize, and few pray for them.”
The Pope listed fifteen ailments plaguing the Curia, and many were quick to join in the criticism. What struck me as I read the list is that I suffer from these ailments as well, as I would gather most of us do.
Rather than reading this list as an indictment of the Church’s administration, I recommend it as an examination of conscience for all of us to pray over as we prepare to celebrate the holy feast of Christmas.
A summary of these fifteen ailments of the Curia, as well as all of us, can be found by clicking HERE.