His off-the-cuff interviews on the papal plane give quite a few people heartburn, but Pope Francis believes that they have pastoral value.
“For me, interviews are a dialogue, not a lesson,” the Pope wrote.
“I do not prepare for this,” he said, stating that he usually declines to read the questions when they are sent in advance, instead opting to answer organically, as he would in an actual conversation.
“Yes, I am still afraid of being interpreted badly,” he clarified, while adding that, as a pastor, it’s a risk he’s willing to take.
“Everything that I do has pastoral value, in one way or in another,” he said. “If I did not trust this, I would not allow interviews: For me, it is clear. It’s a manner of communicating my ministry.”