Pope Francis is planning some reforms at the Vatican. Saying the Catholic Church is too “Vatican-centric,” and condemning the opulence of the papal court as “leprosy.”
“Leaders of the church have often been Narcissuses, gratified and sickeningly excited by their courtiers. The court is the leprosy of the papacy,” he said.
The pope has appointed eight cardinals to advise him on reforming the Vatican administration and improving communication with local churches.
The pope has also taken high profile steps to tackle the scandals at the Vatican Bank known as the Institute for Works of Religion (IOR). A recent report on the bank said they were closing 900 accounts including those deemed suspicious of belonging to diplomats from the embassies to the Holy See.
Meetings with the cardinals are closed-door and could discuss a range of issues including reforms, policies, and church relations.
The Vatican, he said, “looks after the interests of the Vatican, which are for the most part, earthly interests. This Vatican-centric vision neglects the world that surrounds it,” he said. “I do not share this vision and will do everything to change it.”
In announcing the eight-cardinal committee, Francis said, “I’m not Francis of Assisi and I do not have his strength and his holiness. But I am the Bishop of Rome and Pope of the Catholic world. The first thing I decided was to appoint a group of eight cardinals to be my advisers. Not courtiers but wise people who share my own feelings. This is the beginning of a church with an organization that is not just top-down but also horizontal.”
Note that the pope did not say that the hierarchy would go away. He is only saying that he is changing the way the church is perceived by softening its image.
The pope has confirmed what has been known publicly for a long time; the Papacy is corrupted by the luxury and power of the hierarchy. He has also admitted that the Vatican bank has been anything but righteous. But he is only admitting what has been exposed in the press. And his emphasis on these corruptions and scandals reduces the spotlight on the intractable priestly sex scandals that have roiled the church in the last decade.
Pope Francis’ reform of the Vatican is only going to go so far. Reforming the Vatican is fundamentally impossible. Cosmetic improvements may change the way the Vatican is perceived. But the Bible infallibly declares that the Vatican is full of abominations. The changes the pope wants to make will clean up its image, but will not change the underlying moral corruption.
“And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet colour, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication: And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.” Revelation 17:4, 5