Pope Leo indicators additional reforms of Church in Christmas speech to cardinals | EUROtoday

Pope Leo has signalled his intention to uphold the reformist imaginative and prescient of his predecessor, Francis, throughout his annual Christmas handle to Vatican cardinals.

Leo, the primary American pontiff, lauded Francis’s efforts to foster a extra inclusive world Catholic Church, pledging to proceed his legacy.

Addressing the Church’s most senior officers, Pope Leo described Francis, who died in April after affected by double pneumonia, as a “prophetic voice”.

Leo stated the late pope was devoted to cultivating “a joyful Church, welcoming to all and attentive to the poorest”.

The diplomatic method marked a notable departure from Francis’s personal Christmas speeches.

During his 12-year papacy, Francis continuously used these events to ship sharp criticisms of the Roman Curia, the Vatican’s central forms, typically detailing its “illnesses” and “diseases” in prolonged addresses.

In distinction, Pope Leo, identified for his extra measured fashion, spoke for simply quarter-hour, refraining from direct rebukes however reiterating many core tenets of Francis’s papacy.

The Pope cautioned officers in opposition to “falling into rigidity or ideology” when implementing Church teachings.

He harassed that the Vatican’s intricate construction “must not weigh down or slow the progress” of their work, and expressed remorse over persistent interpersonal conflicts throughout the establishment.

“We observe with disappointment that certain dynamics – linked to the exercise of power, the desire to prevail, or the pursuit of personal interests – are slow to change,” the pope stated.

He then posed a query: “We then ask ourselves: is it possible to be friends in the Roman Curia?”

Pope Leo concluded by advocating for “an ever more missionary Roman Curia, in which institutions, offices and tasks are conceived in light of today’s major ecclesial, pastoral and social challenges, and not merely to ensure ordinary administration”.

The pope will perform a midnight mass on Christmas Eve at St Peter’s Basilica, adopted by a blessing and a mass on Christmas Day.