Pope Francis warns of an ‘elegant demon’ among Vatican staff 

Pope Francis on Thursday warned Vatican bureaucrats of an “elegant demon” that takes ahold of people who have a rigid, holier-than-thou way of living the Catholic faith. 

During his annual Christmas greeting to the Roman Curia, the main governing body of the Catholic Church, the pope reminded cardinals, bishops, and priests who work in the Holy See that they are vulnerable to evil. 

“We could easily fall into the temptation of thinking we are safe, better than others, no longer in need of conversion,” Francis said in the Hall of Blessings of the Apostolic Palace.

“Yet we are in greater danger than all others, because we are beset by the ‘elegant demon,’ who does not make a loud entrance, but comes with flowers in his hand,” Francis added. 

"It is not enough to condemn evil, including the evil that quietly lurks among us," Pope Francis continued. "We need to respond by choosing to be converted."

"Mere condemnation can give the illusion that we have solved the problem, whereas what really counts is making the changes that will ensure that we no longer allow ourselves to be imprisoned by evil ways of thinking, which are often those of this world."

Pope Francis has been an outspoken critic of misconduct within the Vatican since he assumed his role in 2013. He has used several Christmas greetings to criticize some of the actions of the Vatican bureaucrats. 

In one of his most remembered critiques, the pope listed 15 illnesses that were tearing apart the Roman Curia, including the “terrorism of gossip,” ″spiritual Alzheimer’s” and of living “hypocritical” double lives.