Pope Francis defended himself against critics in a lengthy interview with the Italian Catholic daily Avvenire.The Pope said that he is leading the Church along the path set by Vatican II, moving away from “a certain legalism, which can be ideological.”
Although he did not explicitly mention the four cardinals who have issued a public call for clarification of Amoris Laetitia, the Pontiff made his meaning clear: “Some people—think of the responses to Amoris Laetitia—still do not understand,” he said. He complained that his critics think of issues in “black and white,” rather than discerning the distinctions in each individual’s case.
Pope Francis mentioned that he has been criticized for his participation in ecumenical events, by Catholics who, he said, fear that he will “Protestantize” the faith. But he said that he would not be swayed by such criticism.
“I’m not losing sleep over it,” the Pope said. He said that constructive criticism can be helpful “when there’s not a nasty spirit.”
But added that in some cases it is clear to him that critics who are trying “to justify preconceived positions aren’t honest.”
In those cases, he said, the critics act “with a nasty spirit to sow division.” He went on to suggest that the rigid attitudes of these critics may betray psychological problems—that they “are born from something missing.”
In the lengthy interview with Avvenire, the Pope also said: He did not have a grand overall strategy for the Jubilee Year, but “let myself be guided by the Holy Spirit.”
“Proselytism is a grave sin,” a betrayal of the Church’s mission. “The Church is not a soccer team that goes around seeking fans,” he explained.
The temptation to “give glory to each other” and to exploit the faith for one’s own purposes is a persistent “cancer in the Church.”
The Pope credited Martin Luther with rejecting “an image of the Church as an organization that can go ahead ignoring the grace of the Lord, or considering it as a possession to be taken for granted.”
Returning to a theme that he had emphasized frequently in the early days of his pontificate, he said: “This temptation to build a self-referential Church, which leads to conflicts and divisions, always keeps coming back.”