Pope Francis calls for power to move away from Vatican

[Eugene]

Source: BBC

26 November 2013 Last updated at 13:34 GMT

Pope Francis calls for power to move away from Vatican

Pope Francis has called for power in the Catholic Church to be devolved away from the Vatican, in the first major work he has written in the role.

In the document, he says he is open to suggestions to changes in the power of the papacy.

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In his "apostolic exhortation", Pope Francis said he preferred a Church that was "bruised, hurting and dirty because it has been out on the streets, rather than a Church which is unhealthy from being confined and from clinging to its own security".

The document suggests major changes are on the way, with Francis noting that the Church has to get over an attitude that says: "We have always done it this way," the BBC's David Willey reports from Rome.

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Read more: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-25102720

[cbayer]

1. That's pretty radical.

Will be interesting to see how those most invested in maintaining control respond to this.

[trotsky]

2. Not really.

In the same letter, he reiterated and reinforced his organization's active opposition to gender equality and reproductive freedom. Hinting at even a small change there WOULD have been radical. But he didn't - status quo continues.

He does seem to understand that the misbehavior and malfeasance by his church's hierarchy is a problem, but he has the same inability as his predecessors to even consider that his church's message and positions could also be turning people off.

When Catholic officials start withholding communion from politicians who vote for tax cuts for the rich like they did for politicians who support reproductive choice, I'll believe his emphasis on the abuses of capitalism. As of yet, everything he has said or done still looks no different than a simple PR campaign.