VATICAN CITY
CNN
By Laura Smith-Spark, CNN
(CNN) — Pope Francis put the ideals of professionalism, service and holiness to the fore Saturday in his first Christmas message to the Curia, the Roman Catholic Church’s governing body.
The Roman Curia, which includes Vatican staff, priests and cardinals, gathered in the ornate Clementine Hall. The pope praised those who have worked in the Vatican for “many years with immense dedication, hidden from the eyes of the world.”
The church needs “people who work with competence, precision and self sacrifice in the fulfillment of their daily duties,” he said.
Without professionalism, Francis warned, “there is a slow drift downwards towards mediocrity” and “dossiers become full of trite and lifeless information” that fail to inspire.
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