Pope Francis recently made shocking claims while in a meeting with 53 Jesuits in Slovakia. The meeting reportedly took place last month, but the Jesuit magazine La Civilta Cattolica only published their transcription this week.
Pope Francis has fully recovered from his colon surgery
During the meeting, one of the Jesuits asked Pope Francis to give them an update about his health. On July 4, he underwent colon surgery and was hospitalized for 11 days, but he has since recovered fully.
"Still alive although some people wanted me dead. I know that there were even meetings between prelates who thought that the pope was in a more serious condition than was being said. They were preparing the conclave (to elect a new pope). So be it. Thank God, I am well," he said via La Civilta Cattolica.
Did Pope Francis slam EWTN?
The pope was also asked to share how he overcame the division within the Catholic church and the people who looked at him with suspicion.
Pope Francis revealed that there is a large Catholic television channel that continuously criticizes him on air. He did not namedrop the network, but the American Magazine is convinced that he's talking about EWTN.
After all, during last month's meeting, the pope said he had already spoken to the channel. And three Vatican officials confirmed that Pope Francis also said the same thing when he met with journalists on his flight from Rome to Baghdad.
At the time, a reporter and cameraman from EWTN told the pope that they prayed for him. Pope Francis replied by saying that EWTN's founder, Mother Angelica must have also been praying for him in heaven.
He then referenced the entire network and said they should stop talking about him negatively if this were the case.
Pope Francis also receives criticisms from clerics because of his controversial stand on issues
EWTN and its associated publications have been critical of Pope Francis and his controversial stand on social issues like immigration, LGBTQ+ rights, and more.
However, they are not the only network that has been attacking the pope.
"There are also clerics who make nasty comments about me. I sometimes lose patience, especially when they make judgments without entering into a real dialogue. I can't do anything there. However, I go on without entering their world of ideas and fantasies. I don't want to enter it and that's why I prefer to preach," he said.
Pope Francis admitted that the baseless criticisms sometimes leave him feeling annoyed.
"I sometimes lose patience, especially when they make judgments without entering into a real dialogue. I can't do anything there. However, I go on without entering their world of ideas and fantasies," he said while at the meeting.
He also stressed that the Catholic church teaches the homosexual tendencies are not sinful, but homosexual acts are. But unlike the other popes that came before him, he's the one who has been most conciliatory towards gay individuals.
