The former archbishop and papal candidate Carlo Maria Martini had advice for the Catholic Church in his last interview, given a fortnight before his death, according to news sources.

Martini was favored to succeed Pope John Paul II until he revealed that he was suffering from a rare form of Parkinson’s disease and proceeded to retire. Right before his death on Friday, Martini had biting comments regarding the Catholic Church, which were published in Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera.

“Our culture has aged, our churches are big and empty and the church bureaucracy rises up, our rituals and our cassocks are pompous. The church must admit its mistakes and begin a radical change, starting from the pope and the bishops,” he said in the interview.

A liberal in the church, Martini embraced progressive movements like accepting the use of condoms in some cases. He believed the church should open up to new kinds of families to move with the times.

“A woman is abandoned by her husband and finds a new companion to look after her and her children. A second love succeeds. If this family is discriminated against, not just the mother will be cut off, but also her children.”

Martini ended his interview by advising Pope Benedict XVI to prevent the church from losing future generations by moving the church forward. He said, “The church is 200 years out of date. Why don’t we rouse ourselves?”

From news reports
(khnews@heraldcorp.com)