Pope Francis himself sometimes wants to escape from the Vatican, his second-in-command, secretary of state Cardinal Pietro Parolin told an Italian TV show due to be aired on Tuesday.
"Even the Pope has some desire to escape out of the Vatican, I think,” Parolin told private TV channel Rete 4's The Road of Miracles show in a pre-recorded interview quoted by Vatican Radio.
Parolin gave the example of a recent trip made by Francis to an optician near Rome’s famous Spanish Steps to replace the lenses for his glasses.
Francis's visits outside the Vatican walls are “mostly for work,” Parolin said, adding that Francis has always enjoyed "a truly great freedom".
“From what I can see, the Pope seems to be doing very well,” he said.
Francis has stated that one of the things he most misses since becoming pope is going out for a pizza.
