VATICAN CITY
CNN
By Daniel Burke, Belief Blog Co-editor
(CNN) – Pope Francis on Tuesday called for big changes in the Roman Catholic Church – including at the very top – saying he knows it will be a messy business but he expects his flock to dive in feet first.
“I prefer a Church which is bruised, hurting and dirty because it has been out on the streets, rather than a Church which is unhealthy from being confined and from clinging to its own security,” the Pope said in a major new statement.
“I do not want a Church concerned with being at the center and then ends by being caught up in a web of obsessions and procedures.”
The Pope’s address, called an “apostolic exhortation,” is basically a pep talk from the throne of St. Peter. But Francis’ bold language and sweeping call for change are likely to surprise even those who’ve become accustomed to his unconventional papacy.
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