'I'm Not Superman': Pope Francis [Complete Interview]

Pope Francis assured that he does not feel like a super hero when he carries out reforms in the Catholic Church and considered that painting the image of the Pope as "Superman" is offensive.

In an interview with Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera, a year after he took the position of maximum leader of the Catholic Church, the Pope assured that there is no other institution that has fought with responsibility and transparency for the protection of children in relation sexual abuse scandals that during the mandate of Benedict XVI overshadowed the organization he leads.

"The Catholic Church is perhaps the only public institution that has behaved with transparency and responsibility. Nobody has done more, and even so the Church is the only one under attack," Francis said in the interview, according to Reuters.

Since he was named Pope, Francis has been considered one of the Popes with the most public approval, earning him the acceptance of all Catholics around the world for his promotion of reforms to the Church, which include controversial subjects such as relationships between same-sex people, calling for acceptance, reconciliation and forgiveness.

When he is asked about his feelings regarding him being considered a celebrity by the media, Pope Juan Mario Bergolio said that he doesn't like "the mythology" created around his persona as a man that can cover all of the expectations of the faithful, pointing out that making the Pope into a super hero is offensive since he considers himself a normal person.

"Showing the Pope as a kind of Superman, as a kind of celebrity, I think it's offensive. The Pope is a man that laughs, cries, sleeps and has friends around the world, like a normal person," Francis said.

Regarding the changes and reforms that he has promoted in the Catholic Church, Bergolio said that his leadership maintains the policies of Catholic belief in regards to the use of preservatives, assuring that he will continue the ban on the use of birth control methods, and the ban on same-sex marriages.

Francis also took the opportunity to dismiss the rumors published months ago regarding his clandestine ventures outside the Vatican to support the poorest neighborhoods of Rome, saying that this type of act "never passed through his mind".

Read the complete interview, published by Argentinian newspaper La Nación here.