In an interview with the Italian newspaper Il Fatto Quotidiano on the occasion of the tenth anniversary of his enthronement, Pope Francis emphasized that corruption torments him the most.

“I’m not just talking about financial corruption inside and outside the Vatican. I’m talking about broken hearts. Corruption is a scandal. In 2015 in Naples, I said that it stinks. Yes, it stinks, and it leads to the decay of the soul,” Francis stressed.

At the same time, he celebrated his predecessor, Pope Benedict, for denouncing the pedophilia scandal in the Catholic Church. “I follow the path that he paved. We must be very clear on this matter: if even one case of abuse is found in the church – something monstrous – it will always be suppressed with the greatest possible severity, ”said the Argentine pontiff.

When asked by the newspaper Il Fatto Quotidiano what he wishes for the future, Francis replied: “Peace. Peace in Ukraine and in all other countries that live in the terrible phenomenon of war, which is always a defeat for everyone, for everyone. War is irrational and cruel. This is a business that does not go through a crisis even during a pandemic: the arms industry. Work in the name of peace means not to invest in these industries of death. It pains me to think that if there were no weapons produced for a year, hunger could be eliminated throughout the world, because the weapons industry is the largest industry on the planet.

Source: RES-IPE