Ask forgiveness for Church's many ills - pope

(ANSA) - Vatican City, October 3 - The Church asks forgiveness for its many "ills", Pope Francis said Wednesday.
    He said "the plague of clericalism must be overcome with decisiveness", which "is born of an elitist ad exclusionary vision of the vocation, which interprets the ministry received as a power to be exercised rather than a free and generous service to offer".
    Opening the Synod on youth, he said "clericalism is a perversion and is the root of many ills in the Church: for them we must humbly ask forgiveness and above all create the conditions that they not be repeated".
    Honest criticism helps while innuendo and rumours don't, Francis said.
    Francis urged "all to speak with courage and parrhesia (candour), that is combining freedom, truth and charity.
    "Only dialogue can help us grow. Honest and transparent criticism is constructive and helps, while useless chatter, rumours, innuendo or prejudice don't."