Pope outlines 15 illnesses for church

(ANSA) - Vatican City, December 22 - Pope Francis on Monday outlined 15 illnesses that he said clergy must guard against in a hard-hitting address to the Roman Curia before Christmas.
    The pope has appointed a nine-member Council of Cardinals to advise him on reforming the Roman Curia - the administrative apparatus of the Holy See and the Catholic Church.
    This is part of an effort towards a broader overhaul of the Vatican's institutions in the wake of the financial and child-sex abuse scandals that have tarnished the Catholic Church's image in recent years.
    "The Curia needs to change... a Curia that does not criticise itself, that does not bring itself up to date, that does not try to improve, is an ill body," the Argentine pontiff said.
    "Sometimes (Curia officials) feel themselves to be 'lords of the manor' - superior to everyone and everything," the pope added, saying that when this happens, clergymen forget the spirit of humility and generosity that should animate them in their service to the Church. He went on to give a long list of "ailments" that clergymen can be stricken with, included "feeling immortal", "spiritual Alzheimer's", "existential schizophrenia" and the "terrorism of gossip".
    "These and other maladies and temptations are a danger for every Christian and for any administrative organization, community, congregation, parish, ecclesiastical movement and can strike at both the individual and the corporate level," Francis said.
    The pope's reference to people who feel "immortal, immune or even indispensable" was interpreted by some commentators as being directed at retired clergy who try to keep exerting influence after leaving their positions.
    He also blasted the "malady of people who insatiably seek to increase their power and to that end are capable of calumniating, defaming and discrediting others, even in newspapers and magazines".
    The pope also advised his audience to maintain a good sense of humor, calling for a "joyous spirit, full of humor and even self-mockery, that makes us amiable persons, even in difficult situations." "It's nice to think of the Roman Curia as a little model church, that is a body that every day seeks to become more unified and harmonious, a complex body with many different elements that don't have the same job, but are coordinated to work in an exemplary, effective way, despite the diversity of its members," he added.
    In a meeting with Holy See staff, Pope Francis also asked for forgiveness over scandals that have hit the Church. "I don't want to conclude this meeting without asking your forgiveness for my shortcoming and those of my assistants for some scandals that have caused much damage. Forgive me," the pope said.