Pope Francis: ‘I Believe in God, Not In A Catholic God’

Pope Francis has once again had a sly dig at the Roman Catholic Church, condemning its narcissistic “Vatican-centric view” of religion.

The new Pope, who was elected earlier this year after Pope Benedict’s resignation, has been praised for his comments since taking the position.

During a discussion with the atheist editor of La Repubblica, an Italian newspaper, Pope Francis once again made it clear that he is looking to reform the church.

The Pontiff commented, “This Vatican-centric view neglects the world around us. I don not share this view and I’ll do everything I can to change to it.”

He then went on to lay out his plan, stating, “The Church is or should go back to being a community of God’s people, and priests, pastors and bishops who have the care of souls, are at the service of the people of God.”

Pope Francis continued, “And I believe in God, not in a Catholic God, there is no Catholic God, there is God and I believe in Jesus Christ, his incarnation. Jesus is my teacher and my pastor, but God, the Father, Abba, is the light and the Creator. This is my Being. Do you think we are very far apart?”

Since becoming the leader of the Catholic Church, Francis has proven that he is a more liberal kind of Pope. He has proven this by being more lenient on various subjects which have included homosexuality and atheism.

Recently, he even criticized the church for being too obsessed with certain issues. Back in September, he was quoted as saying, “We have to find a new balance, otherwise even the moral edifice of the church is likely to fall like a house of cards, losing the freshness and the fragrance of the Gospel.”

He then added, “The church has sometimes locked itself up in small things, in small-minded rules,” before asking his clergy to not act like government officials or bureaucrats.

[Image: Wikimedia Commons]