Pope Francis. (Wikimedia Commons)

"Money must serve, not rule!" declared Pope Francis in his mission statement, in which he denounced the rich-poor gap, the excesses of the wealthy, and the "unproven and naive" nature of trickle-down economic theories.

"Today everything comes under the law of competition and the survival of the fittest, where the powerful feed upon the powerless," said Pope Francis, who decries the "idolatry of money" and calls on the rich to share their wealth. "As a consequence, masses of people find themselves excluded and marginalized: without work, without possibilities, without any means of escape."

Pope Francis also urged politicians worldwide to "attack the structural causes of inequality," and provide basic human needs like work, healthcare, and education to all of the world's citizens.

Clearly opposing the leadership of the last two papacies, Pope Francis sharply criticizes backward Vatican rules and doctrines,  worried that the Vatican's "obsessive" self-preservation is causing it to be slowly forgotten by a world marked by secularization and capitalist excess. 

"I prefer a Church which is bruised, hurting and dirty because it has been out in the streets, rather than a Church which is unhealthy from being confined and from clinging to its own security," said Pope Francis.

The leader of the Roman Catholic Church wants to reinvigorate the Vatican's mission of spreading the faith, and move away from "remaining shut up within structures which give us a false sense of security, within rules which make us harsh judges."

Despite his rather liberal views on the rich-poor gap and Church doctrine, Pope Francis will not change his mind about one controversial issue that is decidedly against the Vatican's teachings - abortion.

Pope Francis insists that the Vatican's stance on abortion is non-negotiable, and that abortion is a byproduct of a modern unhealthy "throwaway culture."

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