Pope Francis Saw Clergy's Lack Of Humility As A 'Cancer': Author

Spanish writer Javier Cercas, who wrote a best-selling account of his 2023 trip to Mongolia with pope Francis, says the late pope considered clericalism as a 'cancer' within the Roman Catholic Church (Credit: AFP)

Pope Francis saw priests' embrace of the trappings of power as a "cancer" corroding the Roman Catholic Church, according to a best-selling Spanish author who travelled to Mongolia with the pontiff.

Javier Cercas, a journalist and novelist who was raised in a devout Catholic household but is himself an atheist, was invited to join Francis on the first visit by a pope to Mongolia in August-September 2023.