VATICAN CITY – Pope Francis addressed the Vatican financial scandals in a radio interview broadcast Wednesday, saying he hoped Cardinal Angelo Becciu would be cleared.

“I hope with all my heart that he’s innocent. In addition, he was a collaborator of mine and helped me a lot. He is a person that I have a certain respect for as a person, that is to say my wish is that he is well. … In any case, justice will decide, ”the Pope told Carlos Herrera, journalist for Spanish radio COPE.

Cardinal Becciu is one of 10 accused in the Vatican the biggest trial for financial crimes in the modern era, after the Pope amended standards allowing cardinals to be tried by lay judges. Cardinal Becciu is accused of embezzlement and abuse of power, but vehemently denies any wrongdoing.

Within 90 minutes maintenance, his first since undergoing colon surgery, Pope Francis spoke about recent restrictions on the traditional Latin Mass, the withdrawal of US forces from Afghanistan, the Vatican-China deal, euthanasia and abortion.

“I am not afraid of transparency or the truth. Sometimes it hurts, and a lot, but the truth is what sets us free, ”said the Pope when asked about corruption at the Vatican.

“Hopefully these steps we are taking in Vatican justice will help make these events happen less and less… Yes, you used the word corruption and in this case obviously, at least at first glance, it seems like ‘there is corruption. ,” he said.

The Pope also addressed sexual abuse by clerics and asked why governments are not doing more to eliminate child pornography.

“To abuse a boy to film an act of child pornography is demonic. It cannot be explained without the presence of the devil, ”said the Pope.

“I sometimes wonder how some governments allow the production of child pornography. Let them not say that they do not know. Today, with the intelligence services, everything is known. A government knows who in its country produces child pornography. For me, this is one of the most monstrous things I have ever seen, ”he said.

Pope Francis also congratulated Cardinal Seán O’Malley of Boston for his work in establishing the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors.

“I would like to pay tribute to a man who started speaking out courageously, even though he was a thorn in the side of the organization, long before the organization was created on this subject, and that is the Cardinal O’Malley. It was up to him to settle the matter in Boston and it was not easy.

Restrictions on the Traditional Latin Mass

Pope Francis described the publication of Summorum Pontificum, a 2007 apostolic letter the lifting of restrictions on the celebration of Mass according to the 1962 Missal, as “one of the most beautiful and human pastoral things of Benedict XVI, who is a man of exquisite humanity”.

“Then the subject was studied and on this basis the concern that arose the most was that something that was being done to pastorally help those who had had a previous experience was turning into ideology. … So we had to react with clear standards, ”said the Pope, explaining why he published the motu proprio Traditionis custodes in July curb celebrations of the traditional Latin mass.

“Because it seemed to be in fashion in some places that young priests say ‘oh, no I want …’ and maybe they don’t know Latin, they don’t know what it means. “, did he declare.

Pope Francis said he saw the need for pastoral care with “some good limits”.

“For example, let the proclamation of the Word be in a language that everyone understands; otherwise it would be like laughing at the Word of God. Little things. But yes, the limit is very clear, ”he said.

Withdrawal from Afghanistan

Asked about the withdrawal of the United States and its allies from Afghanistan, the Pope declared that “all eventualities had not been taken into account”.

Pope Francis said he was touched by something German Chancellor Angela Merkel said about it in Moscow on August 20, but his paraphrased quote was actually words spoken by Russian President Vladimir Putin, according to AP.

“There is a need to end the irresponsible policy of imposing one’s own values ​​on others and attempting to build democracy in other countries on the basis of external models without considering historical, ethnic and religious issues and ignoring totally the traditions of others, ”Pope Francis said.

“Concise and conclusive. I think that says a lot; and everyone can interpret it as they see fit. But there, I felt a wisdom when I heard this woman say that.

The Pope also said the Vatican Secretariat of State was helping – or at least offering to help – with the situation in Afghanistan.

“[Vatican Secretary of State] Cardinal Parolin is truly the best diplomat I have ever met, ”added the Pope.

The Vatican-China Agreement

Discuss the provisional agreement between the Holy See and China, first signed in 2018 and renewed in 2020, the Pope declared: “China is not easy, but I am convinced that we must not give up on dialogue. We can make mistakes in the dialogue, we can make mistakes, all that … but that’s how it is. Narrow-mindedness is never the way.

He continued: “What has been achieved so far in China has at least been dialogue … concrete things like the appointment of new bishops, slowly … But these are also steps that can be taken. questionable and the results on one side or the other. “

The Pope added that Cardinal Agostino Casaroli, Vatican Secretary of State for the first 10 years of John Paul II’s pontificate, was a model of Vatican diplomacy and praised his book, The martyrdom of patience.

“Today, one way or another, we have to follow these paths of dialogue step by step in the most conflicting situations. My experience of dialogue with Islam, for example, with the Grand Imam Al-Tayyeb has been very positive in this regard, and I am very grateful to him, ”he said, referring to the Grand Imam of al-Azhar in Egypt, with whom the Pope sign a declaration on human brotherhood in 2019.

Euthanasia and abortion

In the interview, the Pope also firmly defended the Church’s opposition to euthanasia and abortion.

“We live in a throwaway culture. What is unnecessary is thrown away. The elderly are disposable material: they are a nuisance. Not all of them, but in the collective unconscious of the throwaway culture, the old … the most terminally ill too; unwanted children too, and they are sent to the sender before they are born, ”he commented.

“What the Church is asking for is to help people die with dignity. It has always been done, ”he said.

“And with regard to the abortion case… I say this: any embryology textbook given to a medical student at a medical school says that in the third week of conception, sometimes before that. the mother does not realize it. [that she is pregnant], all the organs of the embryo are already sketched, even the DNA. It’s a life. A human life. Some say, “It’s not a person. It’s a human life.

The Pope then asked a question: “Is it lawful to eliminate human life to solve a problem, is it right to eliminate human life to solve a problem?”

Polite devils

Asked about the devil, a topic the Pope has often addressed since his election in 2013, Francis stressed the danger of what he called “polite devils”.

“The devil is running around, but I’m especially afraid of polite devils. Those who ring your doorbell, who ask for your permission, who come into your house, who make friends, ”he said.

“But did Jesus never speak of it?” Yes, he did… when he says this: when the unclean spirit comes out of a man, when someone converts or changes his life, he goes and begins to walk, in arid places, he s ‘bored, and after a while he says’ I’m going back to see how it is’, and he sees the house all tidy, all changed. Then he looks for seven people who are worse than him and comes in with a different attitude, ”he said.

“That’s why I say the worst are the polite devils, those who ring the doorbell. This person’s naivety lets him in and this man’s end is worse than the beginning, says the Lord. I dread polite devils. These are the worst, and we are well fooled.

Do not watch tv

Pope Francis also explained why he hasn’t watched much television in the past 30 years.

“I made a promise on July 16, 1990. I felt that the Lord was asking me to do it, because we were in community watching something that ended up being vulgar, unpleasant, bad. I felt bad, ”he said.

“It was the night of July 15. And the next day, in prayer, I promised the Lord not to watch over him.”

The Pope added that he was always attentive to important events, such as when a president takes office or when there is a plane crash.

“But I’m not addicted to it,” he said.

His recent colon surgery

Pope Francis said life had returned to normal since he suffered a colon surgery July 4 which required him to remain hospitalized for 11 days.

“This is the second time in my life that a nurse has saved my life,” said the Pope.

“He saved my life. He said, ‘You need to have an operation.’ There were other opinions: “Better with antibiotics …” but the nurse explained it to me very well. He’s a nurse from here, from our health service, from the Vatican hospital. has been here for thirty years, a very experienced man, ”he said.

italian media identified nurse Massimiliano Strappetti, who has worked at the Vatican since 2002, after eight years in the intensive care unit of the Gemelli hospital in Rome.

The Pope explained that his operation had been scheduled in advance and that he was eating regularly now after a few weeks of recovery.

“Now I can eat anything, which was not possible before with diverticula. I can eat it all. I still have the postoperative medication, because the brain must register that it is 33 centimeters [12 inches] less bowel.

The Pope also addressed the recent rumors about his resignation, saying he had no idea about the rumors until someone told him.

“I only read one newspaper here in the morning, the Rome newspaper… I read it quickly and that’s it… And I get the report of some of the day’s news, but I learned a lot more. late, a few days later. , that there was something about my resignation, ”he said.

“Whenever a pope is sick, there is always a breeze, or a hurricane, of conclave.”