Reform of Vatican govt will move forward with determination, Pope Francis tells the Curia

Vatican City: Pope Francis said Monday that reform of the Curia, the Church’s governing body, would “move forward with determination, clarity and firm resolve”, during his annual address to cardinals, bishops and priests running the Holy See. The remarks follow those he made a year ago, in December 2014, when he suggested the Vatican’s administrative hierarchy was beset by a “spiritual Alzheimer’s” and a lust for power. [caption id=“attachment_2554428” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Pope Francis during the traditional Greetings to the Roman Curia. AFP[/caption] The pope reminded the Curia that last year he had chastised them for “certain temptations or maladies… diseases which call for… painful and prolonged interventions”, and noted that despite his words, the Church had been hit by fresh scandal. “Some of these diseases became evident in the course of the past year, causing no small pain to the entire body and harming many souls,” he said, in a reference to a second embarrassing leaks scandal at the heart of the Holy See. Three people accused of stealing and leaking secret papers are currently on trial at the Vatican, along with two journalists accused of publishing the documents, which depict irregularities and extravagance in the Holy See’s spending. The year has also been marked by rumours appearing to originate within the Church of the pope’s ill health, allegations of clerical sex abuse, stories of wild parties in the Vatican and charity money being spent on a cardinal’s apartment. Francis offered his unruly flock a “catalogue of needed virtues” for those who serve in the Curia — a 12-point “practical aid” of guidelines including “setting an example” for the faithful and being honest, charitable and humble. AFP