Pope Francis Denounces Conservative Critics of the Church: Doing ‘the Work of the Devil’
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Pope Francis is once again denouncing conservative critics of the Catholic Church for doing the devil’s work.
“I personally may deserve attacks and insults because I am a sinner, but the Church does not deserve this,” It is the work of the devil,” Francis said in a meeting with Jesuits in Slovakia this month. The comments were first published on Tuesday by Jesuit magazine La Civilta Cattolica.
Asked about his health, Francis replied, that he was “still alive, although some people wanted me dead,” adding, “I know that there were even meetings between prelates who thought that the Pope was in a more serious condition than was being said. They were preparing the conclave (to elect a new pope). So be it. Thank God, I am well.”
Francis spent 11 days in the hospital in July for colon surgery. He was elected pontiff in 2013, and has angered conservatives within the church for frequently taking positions on social issues that are at odds with his predecessors. He suggested last year that there should be a “civil union law” for gay couples so they could be “legally covered,” and has made frequent comments suggesting that immigration laws should be less strict.
His friendship with 95-year-old Italian journalist Eugenio Scalfari has also led to trouble, with Scalfari, an atheist, alleging that Francis expresses controversial opinions in private settings. That included a 2019 in which Scalfari said Francis denied the divinity of Jesus Christ. “Anyone who has had the good fortune to meet with him and speak with him in utmost confidence — as I have done several times — knows that Pope Francis conceives of Christ as Jesus of Nazareth: a man, not an incarnate god,” Scalfari wrote at the time. “Once incarnate, Jesus ceases to be a god and become a man, until his death on the cross.”
The Vatican quickly denied Scalfari’s claim on Francis’ behalf, saying in a statement, “As has been affirmed on other occasions, the words that Dr Eugenio attributes between quotes to the Holy Father during his colloquies held with him cannot be considered a faithful account of what was effectively said, but represent more a personal and free interpretation of what he heard.”
Francis lamented his critics further in his latest comments. “They say I always talk about social issues and that I’m a communist,” he said, noting that he wrote “an entire apostolic exhortation on holiness.”
“I sometimes lose patience” with critics, he added. “especially when they make judgments without entering into a real dialogue. I can’t do anything there. However, I go on without entering their world of ideas and fantasies.”
