Pope Francis Describes How He Deals With Stress
- By C Barnett --
- 13 Feb 2017 --
Pope Francis admits there are issues in the Church but he is “at peace.”
After recent reports surfaced about conflicts within the Vatican, Pope Francis shrugged off rumors concerning his stress levels by remarking he was “not on tranquilizers.”[/tweetit]
Pope Francis Describes How He Deals With Stress[/tweetthis]
He agreed with the reports that there were issues in the Church. However, he stated it did not bother him and that he was “at peace.”
Interestingly, Pope Francis revealed he would often be stressed as the Bishop of Buenos Aires, but that it went away as soon as he moved to the papacy. He also made it clear he did not lose sleep over conservatives opposing his reforms for the church’s teaching and governance.
Nothing is impossible if we turn to God in prayer. We can all be builders of peace.
— Pope Francis (@Pontifex) January 30, 2017
According to the 80-year-old religious leader, his way of dealing with stress is writing his concerns in letters to Saint Joseph. He then presents the letters to the statue of Saint Joseph, the earthly father of Jesus Christ in the Bible.
The leader then joked that Saint Joseph was now sleeping on a mattress made of letters. The Pope credited his ability to be stress free as being a result of God’s grace. He mentioned he slept six hours a day and that he prayed often.
The leader’s recent reforms were opposed by conservatives in the church, which led to conflicts of interest within the bureaucracy. It is believed tensions are still running high.
Last month, Pope Francis dismissed the leader of the Knights of Malta, an ancient order, for challenging his authority in an issue associated with the larger aspect of the church’s direction.
There have been anti-pope posters put up all over Rome as well.
To deal with the issue, the Pope says the “couldn’t care less” attitude is a good lesson to learn from the Italians. However, he did add the current situation was something completely new to him. He spoke of feeling anxious and the tenser days back in Buenos Aires, but said he wasn’t like that anymore.
The Vatican leader stated, “From the moment I was elected I had a very particular feeling of profound peace. And that has never left me. I am at peace. I don’t know how to explain it.”
The Pope also mentioned his views on certain topics were clear prior to his election and that during the general assemblies, everybody supported his reforms.
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