Pope Francis recently discussed the future of the Church and his own pontificate in an interview with the Italian newspaper Il Fatto Quotidiano on the eve of his 10 year anniversary of being elected pope.
When asked to judge his own pontificate, he declined, saying instead his life will be judged by the Lord whether he practiced the Corporal Works of Mercy.
He explained the Church is not a business or NGO, and the pope is not an administrator tasked with balancing numbers at the end of the year.
Acknowledging that being pope is a difficult job, Pope Francis compared himself to St. Peter, who denied Christ but was chosen again by Jesus after the resurrection. He cited this as an example of the Lord’s mercy, which extends to the pope as well.
“Being the pope is not an easy job. Nobody has studied before doing this.”
Pope Francis discussed his hopes for the future of the Church and the world, emphasizing that the “governing program” of his pontificate is to implement the requests of the College of Cardinals.
He also shared his dream of a Church that ventures out into the world and is among the people. The pope criticized clericalism, describing it as the worst thing that can happen to the Church, even worse than corrupt popes.
He called for prayers from those who pray and “good vibes” from those who do not, and stressed the importance of attuning oneself to the Lord rather than the world.
The pope also expressed his hope for peace in the world and emphasized the importance of combating both financial and heart corruption.
Pray for the pope’s intentions!
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Perhaps he should resign then, give the Holy Spirit the chance to assign someone else
His Holiness Pope Francis is doing fine.