'I have never had so many friends': Pope Francis complains of 'feeling used' by people who claim to be close to the pontiff despite meeting him only once 

  • Pope told Argentinian radio that people regularly use him for their own gain 
  • He said those he has met only once or twice later claim to be close to him
  • Francis said he was 'hurt' by what he termed a 'utilitarian sense of friendship'
  • 'Friendship is something very sacred', he said before adding: 'The Bible says 'keep one or two friends...The best friendships are an unspoken bond'

By Hannah Roberts In Rome For Mailonline

Published: 03:04 EST, 15 September 2015 | Updated: 04:27 EST, 15 September 2015

Pope Francis has complained of 'feeling used' by acquaintances who claim they are his friends.

In an interview with Argentinian radio station, FM Milenium 106.7, he confessed: 'I have felt used by some people who have presented themselves as 'friends' that I may not have met more than once or twice in my lifetime, and they used this for their own gain.' 

'I have never in my life had so many 'friends' as now', he added.

He said he was 'hurt' by what he termed a 'utilitarian sense of friendship'. 'To see what you can get out of being close to a person and making him your friend – this pains me.'

Feeling used: In an interview with Argentinian radio, Francis said he was 'hurt' by a 'utilitarian sense of friendship' from people who have used their experiences of meeting him for their own gain

Feeling used: In an interview with Argentinian radio, Francis said he was 'hurt' by a 'utilitarian sense of friendship' from people who have used their experiences of meeting him for their own gain

In the reflective interview broadcast on Sunday, he pointed out that God commands us to have just a small number of real and 'tested' friends. 

Individual: Pope Francis  said pointedly that 'it's important to distinguish real friendship from relationships between colleagues'

Individual: Pope Francis  said pointedly that 'it's important to distinguish real friendship from relationships between colleagues'

'Friendship is something very sacred', he said. 'The Bible says 'keep one or two friends'. Before considering someone your friend, let time test him, to see how he behaves towards you.'

The best friendships are an unspoken bond, he said.

'Friendship is the unspoken accompaniment of someone throughout life. Generally true friendships aren't forced they happen and then its about how you nurture them…letting the other person into your life as someone you are concerned about, as a good presence and because of healthy curiosity to know what he's like, about his family and his children.'

He lamented that competitive human nature makes us better at making enemies than friends. 

'From war to gossip in our neighbourhood or at work. People talkdown, defame others freely ,as if it were the most natural thing in the world, even if its not true, purely to gain a more powerful position or something of the kind,' he said.

Francis who has few friends among the Roman curia, having taken a critical approach, said pointedly that 'it's important to distinguish real friendship from relationships between colleagues.'

In a separate interview on Monday with Portugal's Radio Renascença, he said he did not try and be popular because it did not last. He said: 'I often ask myself what my cross will be like…Jesus also, for a certain time, was very popular, and look at how that turned out.'

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