The ongoing reform of the Roman Curia is a necessary part of the Catholic Church’s fidelity to its mission to proclaim the Gospel, recognizing that very few countries today can be described as “Christian” and that new ways of evangelizing are necessary, Pope Francis said.

But attempts to meet the new challenges are threatened by “the temptation of assume an attitude of rigidity,” the pope said Dec. 21 during his traditional pre-Christmas meeting with cardinals and top officials of Vatican offices. “Rigidity, which is born of the fear of change, ends up erecting fences and obstacles on the terrain of the common good, turning it into a minefield of incomprehension and of hatred,” the pope said. “And today this temptation of rigidity has become very evident.”

“Christendom no longer exists,” he said. “Today we are not the only ones who produce culture, nor are we the first or the most listened to.”