ROME (ITALY)
Irish Post
February 20, 2019
By Aidan Lonergan
Speaking on the eve of a landmark Vatican summit on the prevention of clerical sex abuse, the pontiff told a congregation of 2,500 pilgrims in Saint Peter’s Basilica that those who “live their whole life accusing the Church” are “friends, cousins and relatives of the devil”.
He said the Church’s “defects” must be denounced in order to correct them, but that it had now become “fashionable” for people to “destroy with the tongue” – behaviour akin to that of the “great accuser”.
Francis said: “One cannot live their whole life accusing, accusing, accusing the Church. Whose profession is it to accuse? Who is the ‘great accuser’ quoted in the Bible?
“Those who spend their lives accusing, accusing, accusing are – I won’t say the devil’s children, because he doesn’t have any – but they are friends, cousins, relatives of the devil.
“This is not right. Defects must be identified so that they can be corrected. When defects are pointed out and denounced, the Church is loved. Without love – that is from the devil.”
After concluding his speech, Francis spent a few minutes personally greeting worshippers before setting off ahead of this week’s summit.
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