In his Christmas greetings, the Pope mildly criticizes a Vatican culture that is reminiscent of the past

ROME (AP) — Pope Leo XIV urged Vatican cardinals Monday to put aside their ambitions for power and personal interests, as he followed in the footsteps of Pope Francis and used a Christmas greeting to gently criticize his closest allies.

“Is it possible to become a friend in the Roman Curia?” Leo asked the cardinals and bishops who make up the Curia, as the Holy See bureaucracy is known. “To have true brotherly friendship?”

The fact that Leo asked the question suggests that the American pope is well aware that the Curia has become a difficult and sometimes toxic workplace, something Francis often brings out in his annual Christmas addresses.

Leo did not repeat Francis’s more biting criticism – Vatican priests sometimes suffer from “spiritual Alzheimer’s”, the “cancer” of factions, the “corruption” of ambition and “self-absorbed” idle chatter – and his tone was more gentle and constructive.

But the underlying message remained. Leo, who is very close to Francis and worked at the Vatican for two years before his election, did not deviate from Francis’ tradition of asking Vatican bureaucrats at Christmas to examine their conscience and change their ways for the good of the Church.

“Sometimes this bitterness also finds its way among us, when after many years of service in the Curia, we see with disappointment that certain dynamics linked to the use of power, the desire for victory, or the pursuit of personal interests – are slow to change,” Leo said.

“In the midst of daily toil, it is a grace to find reliable friends, where masks fall, no one is used or marginalized, real support is provided, and each person’s worth and merits are respected, preventing resentment and dissatisfaction.”

After Francis’ sometimes tumultuous 12-year tenure, in which the Argentine Jesuits at times alienated conservatives and some in the Vatican bureaucracy, Leo has generally sought to be a valuable ally of the peacemaker.

He called on Vatican bureaucrats on Monday to work to communistize the community inside and outside the church.

“In a world scarred by conflict, violence and conflict, where we see an increase in aggression and anger, often exploited by both the digital sphere and politics, Christmas invites everyone to work for peace and global brotherhood,” he said.

A bid to encourage priests in the midst of decline

In a separate initiative on Monday, Leo sought to encourage the world’s Catholic priests amid a “crisis” of their declining numbers, which the pope blamed on a variety of challenges, including priest abuse scandals, isolation and suspicion as a result of financial problems.

Leo offered some suggestions to help each person become a “joyful man and a joyful priest” in a speech the Vatican made to mark the 60th anniversary of two Vatican decrees on the training of future priests.

The number of priests worldwide has been steadily declining for some years, with the latest figures for 2023 showing a global total of 406,996, down 734 from the previous year. Only Africa and Asia showed growth in business.

A decade earlier, in 2013, the total number of priests in the world was 415,348 and that year had increased by 1,035 men, according to the FIDES missionary news agency, which reports Vatican figures. But the downward trend started two years later and has continued steadily ever since.

Leo called for better training in seminaries to help priests stick, noting the “painful reality” of priests who leave after only a few years of ordination. He called for “financial equality” between priests working in poor and wealthy parishes, and for bishops to consider more options for priests to live in community to work against isolation and loneliness.

Leo, a priest of the Augustinian religious order, which prioritizes community life, said everyone should look at church practices to understand the reasons for the priest shortage and how to address them.

“It is true that the causes of this crisis can often be diverse and multiple, and depend in particular on the socio-cultural context,” he wrote. “At the same time, we must have the courage to make strong and independent offers to young people” to encourage them to consider a priestly vocation.

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