Pope Francis has outlined plans for reform of the Catholic Church to make it less "Vatican-centric".
In his strongest censure of the intrigue-filled Vatican world yet, the Argentine pontiff condemned on Tuesday "leprosy" in the Vatican and called for a less hierarchical church.
"Leaders of the Church have often been Narcissuses, gratified and sickeningly excited by their courtiers. The court is the leprosy of the papacy," Francis said in an interview with Italian left-wing daily La Repubblica.
The comments came as the pope, who has become known for his humble style, met with a group of eight cardinals he has called to advise him on reforming the Vatican administration and bettering communication with local churches.
Francis has already taken several significant steps to tackle one of the Vatican's most high-profile problems: the scandal-plagued bank.
In June, he set up a pontifical commission to analyse the bank and propose ways to reform it, and on Tuesday it published its accounts for the first time in a new drive for transparency.
A report in the Corriere della Sera daily said the bank was shutting 900 accounts as part of an internal audit, including ones deemed suspicious belonging to diplomats from the embassies to the Holy See of Indonesia, Iran, Iraq and Syria.
The unique advisory board of cardinals meeting on Tuesday - an innovation in Church government - is holding closed talks for three days and is expected to address a range of problems.
These could include further financial reform, the role of women in the Church and whether to soften institutional lines on issues such as the position of divorced Catholics and homosexuality.
It will also look at how to strengthen ties between the Vatican and local parishes, and place more focus on priests and their communities.
The Holy See "is too Vatican-centric", the pontiff said in the interview.
"It looks after the interests of the Vatican, which are for the most part, earthly interests. This Vatican-centric vision neglects the world that surrounds it," he said.
"I do not share this vision and will do everything to change it."
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