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"Painting the pope as a sort of superman, a sort of star, seems offensive," he said. "The pope is a man who laughs, who cries, who sleeps soundly and has friends like everyone else. A normal person."
The 77-year-old, known for his gentle smile and infectious energy, has built up a following of over 12 million people on Twitter since his election last March and is re-tweeted more than those of US President Barack Obama.
Francis in January featured on the cover of Rolling Stone magazine, which hailed his relaxed style and less aggressive stance than his predecessors on hot-button issues like homosexuality.
In January, an image of him as superman, flying through the air with his white cape billowing out behind, was graffitied onto a wall in Rome -- and re-tweeted by the Vatican.
Speeding forwards with his fist raised, the pontiff -- crucifix swinging in the wind -- carried his trademark black bag, with the word "values" on it.
Francis was tipped this week as a favourite among 278 nominees for the Nobel Peace Prize, on the basis of his efforts to redistribute global wealth.
The Argentine, who rose from modest beginnings to become the first non-European pope in nearly 1,300 years, was named last year by Time magazine as its person of the year.
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The 77-year-old, known for his gentle smile and infectious energy, has built up a following of over 12 million people on Twitter since his election last March and is re-tweeted more than those of US President Barack Obama.
Francis in January featured on the cover of Rolling Stone magazine, which hailed his relaxed style and less aggressive stance than his predecessors on hot-button issues like homosexuality.
In January, an image of him as superman, flying through the air with his white cape billowing out behind, was graffitied onto a wall in Rome -- and re-tweeted by the Vatican.
Speeding forwards with his fist raised, the pontiff -- crucifix swinging in the wind -- carried his trademark black bag, with the word "values" on it.
Francis was tipped this week as a favourite among 278 nominees for the Nobel Peace Prize, on the basis of his efforts to redistribute global wealth.
The Argentine, who rose from modest beginnings to become the first non-European pope in nearly 1,300 years, was named last year by Time magazine as its person of the year.
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