In the interview with Spanish journalist Carlos Herrera for the COPE Radio Network, Pope Francis talked about the almost nine years of his Pontificate, stressing that “there is nothing invented by me,” and that he would like to be remembered “as what I am: a sinner who tries to do good.”
The Holy Father admitted that his election as Pope “caught him by surprise because I came to the Conclave with a small suitcase,” I came as I always do, and I left the homilies prepared for Holy Week over there, in the bishopric.,” in Buenos Aires.
In the same way, the Pontiff said that in his trajectory as Successor of Peter “there is nothing invented by me. What I did from the beginning is to try to start what we Cardinals said in the pre-Conclave meetings for the next Pope.” And he added that several “things remain to be done yet, but there is nothing invented by me. I am obeying what was stressed at that time (. . . ) “There is no originality of mine in the plan. And my work project — Evangelii Gaudium –, is something in which I tried to summarize what we Cardinals said at that time.”
Reform of the Curia, Last Steps
In regard to the Reform of the Curia, which the Council of Cardinals is preparing, the Pontiff said that “from the pre-Conclave up to now, the Reform is going step by step and well,’ being, effectively, “the first document that highlights the line, trying to summarize what the Cardinals said. It is Evangelii Gaudium, which attempts to summarize in general what the Cardinals said in the pre-Conclave.”
The Bishop of Rome added that in Evangelii Gaudium there is a question to point out – “the problem of preaching. To subject the faithful to long classes of Theology, of Philosophy, of Moralism, which isn’t Christian preaching, in Evangelii Gaudium I ask for a serious reform of preaching. Some do it, others don’t understand . . . “
In regard to the Apostolic Constitution Praedicate Evangeli, in which the Reform of the Curia is included, “the last step is that I read it — I must read it because I have to sign it, and I must read it word by word –, it won’t have anything new other than what we are seeing now. Perhaps some detail, some change of Dicasteries that come together, two or three additional Dicasteries, but it has been already announced, for example, Education is going to join Culture, ‘Propaganda Fide’ is going to join the Dicastery for the ‘New Evangelization.” It has been announced.” And he stressed that there “won’t be anything new other than what was promised would be done.”
Protection of Minors Against Abuses
Pope Francis was also asked about the Church’s work through the Bishops and, in the first place, he wished to pay tribute to Cardinal O’Malley, Archbishop of Boston, who had the idea of the Pontifical Commission for the Defense of Minors, which “is functioning today and I must now renew half of the people because every three years half are renewed.”
Referring to the summit, held in February of 2019 with the Presidents of the Episcopal Conferences, to address the scourge of pederasty in the Church, the Holy Father said that the “key” in this matter lies on one hand in “the statistics <presented> in the meeting of the Presidents of the Episcopal Conferences, and then in the final address, I gave at the end of the Mass in that meeting. The Pope also clarified that he holds the devil responsible for the paedo-pornography because “to abuse a child to film a paedo-pornographic act is demonic. It can’t be explained without the presence of the devil.”
“Now it’s a global problem and it’s grave. I sometimes wonder why certain governments allow the production of paedo-pornography. They must not say they don’t know. Today, with intelligence services, everything is known. A government knows who in its country produces paedo-pornography. For me this is one of the most monstrous things I’ve seen,” lamented Pope Francis.
There Are No Secret Escapades of the Pope
The Pope was also asked about himself if he had indulged in an escapade that no one knew about, but he reminded that the one who indulged in them to ski was John Paul II. The Bishop of Rome said that in his case there are no secret escapades.
The family homes he has visited, “hidden,” are three, which were known about afterward: “a half convent of the Theresians where I wished to visit Professor Mara, now 90, a great woman who taught at La Sapienza University and then taught in the Augustinianum; I wanted to go to celebrate Mass for her. Then I went to give my condolences to, probably, my best friend, an Italian journalist here, I went to his home. And the third home I visited was Edith Bruck’s, the lady who now celebrated her 90th birthday, who was in a concentration camp. She is a Hungarian Jew.”
In this connection, His Holiness said he doesn’t have the temptation to dress in civilian clothes when he goes out on the street. “I would love to go out on the street, I’d love it, but I have to deprive myself because I wouldn’t be able to walk ten meters.”
Translation by Virginia M. Forrester
