Pope Francis: "There are more serious sins than those of the flesh"

Papa Francesco explained his decision to accept the resignation and, therefore, to remove Msgr. Michael Aupetit, after some journalistic inquiries into his alleged romantic relationships dating back to 2012.

Speaking to reporters about the flight that brought him back to Roma da Athens where he concluded his 35th apostolic journey a Cyprus and Greece, Francesco said: "if we do not know the accusation we cannot condemn... Before answering I will say: investigate, because there is a danger of saying: he has been sentenced. But who condemned him? Public opinion, chatter ... we don't know ... if you know why, say it, on the contrary I can't answer. And you will not know why it was a lack of him, a lack against the sixth commandment, but not total, of small caresses and massages that he gave to the secretary, this is the accusation ”.

“This is a sin but it is not one of the gravest sins, because the sins of the flesh are not the most serious. - Francis then said - The most serious are those who have the most angelicality: the superbia,hate. Thus Aupetit is a sinner, as I am, as was Peter, the bishop on whom Jesus Christ founded the Church ”.

“How come the community of that time had accepted a sinful bishop, and that was with sins with such angelicality, as it was to deny Christ! Because it was a normal Church, she was used to always feeling sinful, everyone, it was a humble church. We see that our Church is not used to having a sinful bishop, - Pope Francis said again - let's pretend to say: 'my bishop is a saint ...' No, this red hat ... we are all sinners. But when the chatter grows, grows, grows and takes away the fame of a person, no, he will not be able to govern because he has lost his fame not for his sin, which is sin - like Peter's, like mine like yours - but for the chatter of people. This is why I accepted the resignation, not on the altar of truth but on the altar of hypocrisy ”.