Pope Francis has said the Catholic Church is too focused on preaching about abortion, gay people and contraception and needs to become more merciful.
He warned that the Church's moral structure could "fall like a house of cards" unless it changed.
The Pope used the first major interview of his papacy to explain comments he made in July about homosexuality.
He told a Jesuit magazine the Church must show balance and "heal wounds".
The pontiff used the 12,000-word interview with La Civilta Cattolica to set out his priorities as Pope, acknowledge his own shortcomings and open up about his cultural interests.
