VATICAN CITY -- Lengthy, abstract homilies are "a disaster," so preaching should be limited to 10 minutes, Pope Francis said. Speaking off the cuff to diocesan liturgical directors Jan. 20, the pope said homilies are not academic conferences. "I sometimes hear people say, 'I went to this parish, and yes it was a good philosophy lesson, 40, 45 minutes,'" he said. Homilies are "sacramentals" to be "prepared in prayer" and "with an apostolic spirit," he said. But, in the Catholic Church, he said, "in general, the homilies are a disaster." Pope Francis encouraged priests to keep their homilies to "no...