Pope Francis has said the Catholic
Church is too focused on preaching about abortion, gay people and contraception
and needs to become more merciful.
He warned that the Church's moral
structure could "fall like a house of cards" unless it changed.
The Pope used the first major interview
of his papacy to explain comments he made in July about homosexuality.
He told a Jesuit magazine the Church
must show balance and "heal wounds".
The pontiff used the 12,000-word
interview with La Civilta Cattolicato to set out his priorities as Pope,
acknowledge his own shortcomings and open up about his cultural interests.
'Freshness and fragrance'
His vision for relegating the Catholic
Church's reliance on rules marks a contrast to the priorities of his
predecessors, John Paul II and Benedict XVI, who saw doctrine as the paramount
guide for clergy
"The church's pastoral ministry
cannot be obsessed with the transmission of a disjointed multitude of doctrines
to be imposed insistently," Francis said.
"We have to find a new balance;
otherwise even the moral edifice of the church is likely to fall like a house
of cards, losing the freshness and fragrance of the Gospel."
Instead, he said, the Catholic Church
must work to heal the wounds of its faithful and seek out those who have been
excluded or have fallen away.
Continue reading the main story
“Start Quote
We have to find a new balance; otherwise
even the moral edifice of the Church is likely to fall like a house of cards”
End Quote Pope Francis
"It is useless to ask a seriously
injured person if he has high cholesterol and about the level of his blood
sugars," he said. "You have to heal his wounds. Then we can talk
about everything else."
He said the Church had become tied up in
"small-minded rules" and risked losing its true purpose.
"The most important thing is the
first proclamation: Jesus Christ has saved you. And the ministers of the Church
must be ministers of mercy above all.''
His remarks are could generate dismay
among clergy in the United States who have already expressed disappointment
that Francis has not pressed Church teaching on abortion, contraception and
homosexuality.
Last week, Bishop Thomas Tobin of Providence, Rhode
Island, wrote in his diocesan newspaper that he was
"disappointed" Francis hadn't addressed abortion since his papacy
began six months ago, according to AP.
Francis said it was not necessary to
speak out on such issues.
'Home of all'
"We cannot insist only on issues
related to abortion, gay marriage and the use of contraceptive methods. This is
not possible,'' he said.
"The teaching of the Church, for
that matter, is clear and I am a son of the Church, but it is not necessary to
talk about these issues all the time.''
Francis created headlines two months ago
when he spoke about gay priests during an impromptu news conference on a return
flight from Brazil.
He said it was not up to him to judge about the sexual orientation of clergy as
long as they were searching for God and had goodwill.
In his latest interview, Francis said
his remarks were in line with Catholic teaching.
"This Church with which we should
be thinking is the home of all, not a small chapel that can hold only a small
group of selected people. We must not reduce the bosom of the universal Church
to a nest protecting our mediocrity,'' he said.
Francis also used the interview to
detail his favourite composers, artists, authors and films, which include
Mozart, Caravaggio, Dostoevsky and Fellini's La Strada.