Pope Francis Slams Vatican Officials, Saying They're Sick With Power And Greed

Pope Francis rocked the Vatican on Monday with a stunning criticism of the priests, bishops and cardinals who run the central administration of the Roman Catholic Church – called Curia – during their annual Christmas meeting.

The participants had expected the meeting to be just an exchange of Christmas pleasantries, but to their utter surprise, the Pope delivered a stinging rebuke of their action, condemning the "sickness and temptations" that afflict the Vatican bureaucracy. He listed them one by one the 15 "Ailments of the Curia," complete with footnotes and Biblical references.

Many members of the Curia looked contemplative while a few were smiling as the Pope spoke.

Without mincing words, the Pope said careerism, scheming and greed had infected the members of the Curia with "spiritual Alzheimer's."

Pope Francis told the Vatican bureaucrats to catalog their illnesses beginning with "this disease of feeling immortal or indispensable."

The "pathology of power," he said, could lead to people believing "they are superior to others and not here for the service to others."

The Pope also warned them against the disease of loss of compassion, which he said afflicted "those who have a heart of stone."

"Those who lose their inner serenity, their vivacity and audacity, to hide behind their papers, becoming like procedural machines rather than men of God," he said.

Pope Francis also cited the diseases of "excessive planning and functionalism" and of "bad coordination," which he said could happen when members of the Curia act on their own and do not bother to collaborate with each other.

Vatican's bureaucrats are also at risk of succumbing to "spiritual Alzheimer's disease and forgetting the story of salvation," the Pope said.

The Pontiff also blasted the diseases of rivalry and vainglory, and pilloried those who try to court their superiors "inspired by their own egotism."

Pope France also talked about the disease of gossip, which he said, "is a serious disease that begins simply when people chatter." He said once a person gets this disease, he becomes "a Satan." Afflicted with this disease are the people who speak ill about their own colleagues and brothers and sisters, he said. "Dear brothers, let us be aware and guard against the terrorism of gossip," he said.

Pope Francis also referred to the child abuse scandal that has rocked the Catholic Church, saying this resulted from the "disease of a closeness."

"This disease also begins from good intentions, but with the passing of time enslaves its members, becoming a cancer which threatens the harmony of the body and causes a lot of evil and scandal, especially towards our small brothers and sisters," the Pope said.

The Holy Father also warned against the disease of the mundane -- "of the exhibitionism when the apostle transforms his service in power."

"This is a disease of people who seek tirelessly to multiply power only aimed at calumny, and to defame and discredit others," he said.

At the end of his speech, Pope Francis asked the prelates to pray that the "wounds of the sins that each one of us carries are healed" and that the Church and Curia itself are made healthy.

"Dear brothers, such diseases and such temptations are a naturally a danger for each Christian and for each Curia. For each community, for any ecclesiastical movement. They can damage both individually and the community. We have to say that only the Holy Spirit and the soul of Christ, only he can protect us from the disease.

"We have to cure ourselves of these. Let us try to grow together and close to Christ," he implored his audience.

Finishing on an upbeat note, the Pontiff wished his audience a Happy Christmas and urged them to be more joyful, saying how much good a "dose of humor" could do.

His speech was met with only a lukewarm applause.

Pope Francis, the first non-European pope in 1,300 years, has vowed to reform the Italian-dominated Curia, whose power struggles and leaks were blamed for Benedict XVI's decision to resign the papacy last year – the first pope to do so in six centuries.