BOSTON - Two days after Pope Francis delivered a harsh critique of the central administration of the Roman Catholic Church, Cardinal Sean O'Malley said concern about the church administration is widespread and was discussed at the last conclave, when cardinals met to select the pope.

"Whoever was elected the pope knew that one of his biggest challenges was going to be the renewal of the central administration of the church, and Pope Francis is doing that with great energy, and he has our support," said O'Malley, who is the archbishop of Boston.

Pope Francis made waves with his annual Christmas greeting to the Curia, a group of cardinals, bishops and priests who make up the church administration. The pope accused the Curia of having 15 kinds of spiritual sickness. Among them: "Spiritual Alzheimer's," or forgetting one's connection with God, the sickness of gossip, of "rivalry and vainglory," of pursuing worldly power and of overly valuing belonging to a closed group. The Associated Press reported that the address was unprecedented in the sharpness of Pope Francis' rebuke. Some observers suggested that it was prompted by the results of a secret investigation into leaks of confidential Vatican papers to journalists in 2012.

O'Malley sits on an advisory board to the pope that is tasked with helping the pope reform the church administration, which has been plagued with problems including the church's response to priests accused of molesting children and allegations of corruption within the Vatican bank. O'Malley spoke to reporters in Boston on Christmas Eve before helping serve lunch to homeless people at the Pine Street Inn.

Asked about the pope's address, O'Malley compared to the pope to "a Jesuit novice master," or teacher. "He wants all of us priests and bishops to be the very best version of ourselves, and an Advent message is a call for an examination of conscience, and the Holy Father is very good at doing that," O'Malley said.

O'Malley said Pope Francis was urging church leaders to open the church doors and try to help people who are hurting. "I think all of us have to look into our hearts and see how we can be better disciples, and live the challenge of the gospel with renewed generosity, and not be a church that's turned in on ourselves," O'Malley said.