Pope Francis has given a chastening pre-Christmas address to cardinals in the Vatican. The Pope’s words, which harshly criticised Vatican bureaucracy, was met with silence.

The Pontiff was critical of “spiritual Alzheimer’s” and “the terrorism of gossip”, according to the BBC.

In a speech that attacked the Curia – a group of officials central to governance of the church – the Pope highlighted 15 “ailments” the church was suffering from. He said he wanted to cure these ailments in the New Year.

He criticised “those who look obsessively at their own image” and demanded reform of the Curia.

The address was met with silence at the end.