VATICAN CITY – Pope Francis addressed the Vatican’s financial scandals in a radio interview aired Wednesday, saying he hoped Cardinal Angelo Becciu would be found innocent.
“I sincerely hope he is innocent. In addition, he was my collaborator and helped me a lot. He is a person to whom I have a certain esteem as a person, that is, that my wish is that he comes out well. … In any case, justice will decide, “the Pope told Carlos Herrera, a journalist with the Spanish broadcaster COPE.
Cardinal Becciu is one of ten defendants in the Vatican’s largest trial for financial crimes in the modern era, after the pope changed the rules to allow cardinals to be tried by lay judges. Cardinal Becciu is accused of embezzlement and abuse of office, but vehemently denies any wrongdoing.
In the 90-minute interview, the first since he underwent colon surgery, Pope Francis spoke of recent restrictions on traditional Latin Mass, the withdrawal of US forces from Afghanistan, the Vatican agreement -China, euthanasia and abortion.
“I am not afraid of transparency or the truth. Sometimes it hurts a lot, but the truth is what sets us free, “the pope said when asked about corruption at the Vatican.
“We hope that these steps we are taking in the Vatican justice will help make these events less and less … Yes, you have used the word corruption and, in this case, obviously, at least at first glance, it seems that there is corruption , “He said.
The Pope also addressed clerical sexual abuse and wondered why governments were not making further efforts to eliminate child pornography.
“Abusing a boy to film an act of child pornography is demonic. It cannot be explained without the presence of the devil, “the Pope said.
“Sometimes I wonder how certain governments allow the production of child pornography. Let them not say they do not know. Today, with intelligence services, everything is known. A government knows who produces child pornography in their country. For me, this is one of the most monstrous things I have ever seen, ”he said.
Pope Francis also praised Cardinal Seán O’Malley of Boston for his work in setting up the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors.
“I would like to pay tribute to a man who started talking about this with courage, even though he was a thorn in the side of the organization, long before the organization’s creation on this subject, and he is Cardinal O “Malley. It was up to him to settle the matter in Boston and it was not easy.”
Restrictions on traditional Latin Mass
Pope Francis described the publication of of the sovereign pontiffs, a 2007 apostolic letter that lifts restrictions on the celebration of Mass according to the 1962 Missal, as “one of the most beautiful and humane pastoral things of Benedict XVI, who is a man of exquisite humanity.”
“Then the subject was studied and, from that, the concern that appeared most was that something that was done to help pastorally those who have lived a previous experience was transformed into ideology. … So we had to react with clear rules, “the Pope said, explaining why he issued the motu proprio Guardians of tradition in July, slowing down the celebrations of the traditional Latin Mass.
“Because it seemed to be in vogue in some places, young priests would say‘ oh, no, I want to … ’and maybe they don’t know Latin, they don’t know what it means,” he said.
Pope Francis said he saw the need for pastoral care to be taken with “good boundaries.”
“For example, let the proclamation of the Word be in a language that everyone understands; otherwise, it would be like laughing at God’s Word. Little things. But yes, the limit is very clear, ”he said.
Withdrawal from Afghanistan
When asked about the withdrawal of the United States and its allies from Afghanistan, the Pope said “not all contingencies were taken into account.”
Pope Francis said he was touched by something German Chancellor Angela Merkel said on the issue in Moscow on August 20, but her paraphrased quote was actually from the words of Russian President Vladimir Putin, according to AP.
“It is necessary to stop the irresponsible politics of applying one’s own values to others and attempts to build democracy in other countries based on external models without regard to historical, ethnic and religious issues and fully ignoring the traditions of others.” said Pope Francis.
“Concise and conclusive. I think that says a lot; and everyone can interpret it as they please. But there I felt a wisdom to hear this woman say that.
The Pope also said the Vatican Secretariat of State was helping (or at least offering help) with the situation in Afghanistan.
“[Vatican Secretary of State] Cardinal Parolin is truly the best diplomat I have ever known, ”the pope added.
The Vatican-China agreement
Discussing the interim agreement between the Holy See and China, first signed in 2018 and renewed in 2020, the Pope said: “China is not easy, but I am convinced that we must not give up on dialogue. “Cheating in dialogue, you can make mistakes, all that … but it’s the way. The closed mindset is never the way.”
He continued: “What has been achieved so far in China has been at least dialogue … some concrete things like the appointment of new bishops, slowly … But they are also questionable steps and the results on the one hand or of the other “.
The Pope added that Cardinal Agostino Casaroli, the Vatican’s secretary of state during the first ten years of the pontificate of John Paul II, was a model of Vatican diplomacy and spoke highly of his book. The martyrdom of patience.
“Today, in a way, we must follow these paths of dialogue step by step in the most conflictive situations. My experience in the dialogue with Islam, for example, with the Grand Imam Al-Tayyeb, was very positive in this and I am very grateful to him, “he said, referring to the Grand Imam of al-Azhar in Egypt. with whom the Pope signed a declaration on human brotherhood in 2019.
Euthanasia and abortion
In the interview, the Pope also strongly defended the Church’s opposition to euthanasia and abortion.
“We live in a culture to throw away. What is useless is discarded. Older people are disposable: they are a nuisance. Not all, but in the collective unconscious of the throwing culture, the old … also the most terminally ill; unwanted children as well and are sent to the sender before they are born, ”he commented.
“What the Church is asking for is to help people die with dignity. That has always been done, ”he said.
“And as for the abortion case … I say it: any embryology textbook given to a medical student in medical school says that in the third week of conception, sometimes before the mother realizes [that she is pregnant], all the organs of the embryo, even the DNA, are already sketched. It is a life. A human life. Some say, “He’s not a person.” It’s a human life. “
Then the Pope asked a question: “Is it lawful to eliminate a human life to solve a problem, is it fair to eliminate a human life to solve a problem?”
Educated devils
Asked about the devil, a topic the Pope has often addressed since his election in 2013, Francis highlighted the danger of what he called “educated demons.”
“The devil runs everywhere, but I am very afraid of educated devils. Those who ring your doorbell, ask you for permission, come into your house, make friends, ”he said.
“But Jesus never spoke of it? Yes, he did … when he says this: when the unclean spirit comes out of a man, when someone becomes or changes his life, he goes and starts walking, in arid places, he gets bored and after one time he says, “I’ll see how it is again” and sees the house all tidy, all changed. Then he looks for seven people worse than him and comes in with a different attitude, ”he said.
“That’s why I say that the worst are the educated devils, the ones who ring the bell. The naivete of this person lets him in and the end of this man is worse than the beginning, says the Lord. I fear the educated devils. They are the worst and one is very deceived ”.
Don’t watch TV
Pope Francis also told the story that explained why he has not seen much television in the last 30 years.
“I made a promise on July 16, 1990. It seemed to me that the Lord was asking me to do it, because we were in community seeing something that ended up messy, nasty, bad. I felt bad, ”he said.
“It was the night of July 15. And the next day, in prayer, I promised the Lord not to watch over him.”
The Pope added that he still tunes in to important events, such as when a president takes office or when there is a plane crash.
“But I’m not addicted to it,” he said.
His recent colon surgery
Pope Francis said life had returned to normal since he underwent colon surgery on July 4 which forced him to remain hospitalized for 11 days.
“It’s the second time in my life that a nurse saves my life,” the Pope said.
“It simply came to my notice then. He told me, “You need surgery.” There were other opinions: “Better with antibiotics …”, but the nurse explained it to me very well. He is a nurse from here, from our health service, from the Vatican Hospital. He has been here for thirty years, a man with a lot of experience, ”he said.
Italian media identified the nurse as Massimiliano Strappetti, who has been working at the Vatican since 2002, after eight years serving in the intensive care unit of Rome’s Gemelli Hospital.
The Pope explained that his surgery had been pre-scheduled and that he now eats regularly after a few weeks of recovery.
“Now I can eat everything, which was not possible before with diverticula. I can eat everything. I still have the postoperative medications, because the brain has to record that it is 33 centimeters [12 inches] less gut “.
The Pope also addressed recent rumors about his resignation, saying he had no idea of the rumors until someone told him.
“I only read one newspaper here in the morning, the Rome newspaper … I read it quickly and that’s it … And I get the report on some of the news of the day, but I found out much later, a few days later , that there was something in my resignation, “he said.
“Whenever a pope is sick, there is always a breeze or a conclave hurricane.”