Vatican City - “Open doors, that's what I really want. To open doors and walk paths’, said Pope Francis to Elisabetta Piqué, a journalist for the Argentine daily La Nación, in a new interview given at Casa Santa Marta for the 10th anniversary of his election on 13 March.

There is one thing that has made the Holy Father particularly happy in recent years: “Everything that concerns the pastoral line of forgiveness and understanding people. Giving everyone a place in the Church.”

Pope Francis says the Church is following the path laid out by the Second Vatican Council so that it can become ever more a home for all. He also discusses the ongoing Synod, as well as the Holy See’s work for peace in Ukraine.

A church with open doors
Pope Francis said his dream is to open doors of the Church.

The Church he envisions for the coming years is a Church that is “more pastoral, more just, more open” along the lines traced out by the Second Vatican Council.

“We must travel this path. Now, the concreteness of this is difficult.”

The interviewer underlined the fact that Pope Francis is concerned especially for the “lost sheep” and that this attitude has troubled some Catholics, as happened with the elder brother in the parable of the prodigal son: “It always happens,” said the Holy Father. “A keyword of Jesus is ‘all.’ For me, this is the key to pastoral openness. Everybody inside the house. There’s a bit of commotion, but everyone inside the house.”

Of course, he emphasized, there is resistance and opposition to change. Jesus, too, “faced a lot of opposition.” But it is necessary to act in the “freedom of the Holy Spirit” and to seek God’s will. Pope Francis spoke of the formation of future priests and indicated the need for a review of seminaries.

The reforms
On the question regarding reforms, Pope Francis noted that “the dicasteries have been reorganized and the College of Cardinals itself is now freer.” On the economic front, he paid tribute to Cardinal Pell, who helped him set the economic reform in motion. “

On the conversion of the papacy mentioned in his programmatic document, Evangelii gaudium, he recalls what was done by Paul VI: “a great man, a saint”; by John Paul II, “the great evangelizer”; by John Paul I, "the pastor who was close, who wanted to put an end to certain things that were not going well”; and by Benedict, “a courageous man” who distinguished himself for the depth of his magisterium. Pope Benedict, he said, “was the first pope to officially address the issue of abuse."

“Pope Benedict was a great theologian. He was a man who put himself on the line. I miss Benedict because he was a companion.”

The right to vote at the Synod
With regard to synodality, Pope Francis emphasized that it is an ongoing process. “About ten years ago there was serious reflection and a document was drawn up that I signed, together with the theologians.” This document stated, “This is the maximum we have reached, now something more is needed.” For example, it was accepted by all that women could not vote. “So, in the Synod for the Amazon, the question was asked, 'Why can't women vote? Are they second-class Christians?’” Asked by the journalist if only one woman or all will vote now, the Holy Father replied: “All those who participate in the Synod will vote. Invited guests or observers will not vote. Anyone who participates in a Synod has the right to vote. Whether man or woman. Everyone, everyone. The word ‘everyone’ for me is fundamental.”

The dangers of gender ideology
Pope Francis then stated that he is not writing a new encyclical. In response to a question about whether he has been asked to write a document on the subject of gender, he replied in the negative.

On this topic, he reiterated that he “always makes a distinction between pastoral work with people of different sexual orientation” on the one hand, “and gender ideology. They are two different things," he said.

"Gender ideology, at this time, is one of the most dangerous ideological colonisations. It goes beyond the sexual sphere. Why is it dangerous? Because it dilutes differences, and the richness of men and women and of all humanity is the tension of differences. It is growing through the tension of differences. The gender question dilutes differences and makes the world equal, all level, all the same. And this goes against the human vocation.”

The Holy See's work for peace in Ukraine
“War hurts me. That's what I want to say. War hurts me.”

Pope Francis discussed the situation in Ukraine, stating that while he is unsure if the ongoing violence there can be defined as genocide, it is clearly not a war ethic that is acceptable.

The Vatican is working through diplomatic channels towards a peaceful solution and the Holy Father expressed a willingness to travel to both Kyiv and Moscow if possible. He emphasized his desire for peace.

Pope Francis also said that he is willing to go to Kyiv. But on condition that he will also go to Moscow. “I will go to both places or neither.”

A journey to Argentina?
Then the subject of a possible trip to Argentina was broached. Pope Francis repeated that he wants to go to Argentina and that it has not happened so far due to a series of reasons that have added up over time.

Knowing how to wait
Finally, responding to a question about errors made during these ten years of his pontificate, the Holy Father pointed to the cause of each error: impatience. “Sometimes the blood rises to my head. Then you lose patience, and when you lose peace, you slip and make mistakes. You have to know how to wait.”
-VN