Pope Francis has attacked the hype surrounding his papacy, claiming yesterday he is a "normal person" and calling comparisons between himself and Superman "offensive".
The Pope, 77, whose charisma has been credited with boosting flagging church attendances and who has even appeared on the cover of Rolling Stone magazine in
his year in the Vatican, said he objected to the myths about him.
"Sigmund Freud said, if I am not mistaken, that behind every idealisation there is aggression," he told the Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera.
"Portraying the Pope as a kind of Superman, a type of star, seems offensive," he said. "The Pope is a man who laughs, cries, sleeps tranquilly and has friends like everyone. A normal person."
He denied reports that he crept out of the Vatican at night to give food to tramps. "That never crossed my mind," he said.
