Pope Francis. FILE PHOTO
VATICAN CITY 鈥� Pope Francis joked about the difficulties of being head of the world鈥檚 Catholics saying he never wanted the job on Friday in unscripted comments in which he also said he had turned down luxury Vatican housing because it would be 鈥渂oring鈥�.
鈥淪omeone who wants to be pope does not really like themselves,鈥� the pontiff said laughing, in answer to a child鈥檚 query during a question-and-answer session with Jesuit school students in the Vatican.
鈥淚 did not want to be pope,鈥� he said.
His predecessor Benedict XVI once said he had prayed to God not to be elected pope but that 鈥渆vidently this time he didn鈥檛 listen to me.鈥�
Francis also told his audience he had decided not to move to the official papal apartments, staying in a residence hotel in the Vatican instead.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a personality problem. I need to live with people. If I lived alone, I would feel a bit isolated and it wouldn鈥檛 be good for me,鈥� he said.
鈥淚t would be bad and boring,鈥� he added.
鈥淎 professor asked me about this and I told him 鈥楲isten professor it鈥檚 for psychiatric reasons鈥�,鈥� the 76-year-old Argentine pope told his audience with a grin.
He also condemned global poverty as a 鈥渟candal鈥� and urged his young audience to counter 鈥渢he economic and social structures that enslave us鈥�.
Francis said that for Christians being involved in politics was a 鈥渄uty鈥� for the common good.
鈥淟ay Christians have to get stuck into politics. Politics is dirty but maybe it鈥檚 dirty because Christians are not involved,鈥� he said.