VATICAN CITY — Pope Francis today denounced the resistance he’s encountering in reforming the Vatican bureaucracy, saying some of it is inspired by the devil “dressed as an angel” and that the prelates who work for him must undergo “permanent purification” to serve the Catholic Church better.

For the third year in a row, Francis took the Vatican bureaucracy to task in his annual Christmas greeting.

He said the reform process he was elected to push through in 2013 isn’t aimed at a superficial face-lift for the Holy See, but rather a profound change in mentality among his collaborators.

In 2014, Francis stunned the Vatican Curia, or administration, when he listed the 15 “spiritual ailments” its members were suffering. He accused them of using their careers to grab power and wealth, of living “hypocritical” double lives and of forgetting — due to “spiritual Alzheimer’s” — that they’re supposed to be joyful men of God.