Pope urges humility as he chides cardinals and bishops in Christmas address

Pope Francis used his annual Christmas address to take Vatican administrators to task (Alessandra Tarantino/AP)

Pope Francis has urged Vatican cardinals, bishops and bureaucrats to embrace humility this Christmas, saying their pride, self-interest and the “glitter of our armour” was perverting their spiritual lives and corrupting the church’s mission.

As he has in the past, Francis used his annual Christmas address to take Vatican administrators to task for their perceived moral and personal failings, denouncing in particular those who “rigidly” hide behind Catholic Church traditions rather than seek out the neediest with humility.