Pope Francis: Catholic Church Could Fall Like a 'House of Cards'

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Pope Francis has declared himself a "sinner" and says the Catholic Church will “fall like a house of cards” unless its leaders are able to strike a “new balance” between their political activities and their spiritual mission.

In an unprecedented 10,000 word interview the Argentinian Pope, who has established a reputation for directness and humility since being elected six months ago, called on his church to reform and alluded that it had become obsessed with issues such as gay marriage, abortion and contraception.

And in another characteristically startling admission he declared himself a sinner.

"This is the most accurate definition,” he said, when asked what sort of a man he was. “It is not a figure of speech, a literary genre. I am a sinner.”

Pope Franics revealed he prays while waiting for a dentist’s appointment and that he decided not to move into the grand apostolic apartments in the Vatican, where his predecessor Benedict XVI lived, because he would have felt trapped and out of touch.

Of the Catholic Church overall, he said: “We have to find a new balance; otherwise even the moral edifice of the church is likely to fall like a house of cards.” » | Nick Squires, in Rome | Thursday, September 19, 2013

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