Pope nostalgic for train journeys

Pope Francis is nostalgic for the old days when he could still travel by train, he has revealed in an interview.

"I have always loved travelling by public transport. It's a way to be among people, to feel their warmth and their worries," the 87-year-old head of the Catholic Church told the monthly newspaper Freccia of the Italian state railway.

As a schoolchild, he travelled every day by train from Flores to Floresta, two districts of Argentina's capital Buenos Aires. "Today, that's one of the things I miss most," Francis said.

The Argentinian-born priest, who is in poor health, rarely leaves the Vatican these days. He now often sits in a wheelchair.

Francis often travels around St Peter's Square in an open popemobile. He usually travels to appointments in Rome by car.

For longer journeys, he relies on a special aircraft operated by the Italian airline ITA Airways or - as he did last weekend during a visit to Venice - on a helicopter.