'Complaining not allowed' sign appears on door of Pope's apartment

A big sign that reads "Vietato Lamentarsi," which translates to "Complaining not allowed," has been seen hanging on the door of Pope Francis' apartment at the Vatican.

The sign, printed in large white letters on a red background, was spotted recently on the pope's door at the Domus Santa Marta, where he has lived since the beginning of his pontificate.

In much smaller print, it explains in Italian that "offenders are subjected to a syndrome of victimism that lowers the mood and the ability to solve problems." It went on to state that "sanction is doubled if the offense is committed in the presence of children."

"To become the best of yourself, you must focus on your own potential and not on your own limits, so stop complaining and act to change your life better," the sign concludes.

The good-humored sign was noticed by the Pope's recent interlocutors invited to Santa Marta, including an elderly Italian priest, who took a picture and divulged it after having asked permission.

According to La Stampa, it was Francis himself who made the priest notice at the end of the audience last week.

Crux reported that the sign was produced by Italian psychologist and psychotherapist Salvo Noé, who gave it to Francis after a June 14 weekly audience. Noe is an author of several self-help books and gives well-being lectures to universities, security forces and companies.

The pontiff reportedly promised to put up the sign on his office door, but decided to put it in the Santa Marta instead as it would look out of place in the Apostolic Palace.

Francis has spoken about the dangers of excessive complaining in numerous occasions. Just a few months after he was elected in 2013, Francis urged Christians to abandon the attitude of constant complaining.

"Sometimes there are melancholic Christians with faces like pickled peppers, such long faces, rather than being joyful for the beautiful life they have," he said at the time.

The pontiff has been facing several complicated issues in the past few weeks, including the abrupt resignation of the Vatican's auditor-general, Libero Milone, just two years after he was given the task of bringing transparency to its finances.

The pope also just got rid of one of his most trenchant critics, Cardinal Gerhard Mueller, who had served as the head of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.

Additionally, the Holy See announced last week that the former president and secretary of a Vatican-owned hospital in Rome will be put on trial over accusations of embezzlement.

Despite the complications, the priest who took the picture says he found Francis relaxed and serene, and he is currently in talks about his next trip to Columbia.