Pope Francis has revealed that his boyhood dream was to become a butcher.

The pontiff who made the revelation in a recent interview said he never thought about becoming pope as a child,  revealed that he was impressed with the butcher at the local market where his mother and grandmother took him to do the shopping.

He said: 'One time they asked me what do you want to do when you grow up. I said, "A butcher".'

Francis was speaking in a rare interview to a Dutch newspaper, Straatnieuws, published by the homeless.

In the broad-ranging conversation, Francis claimed he tries to keep his feet on the ground by telling himself that his fame won't last.

He explained: 'I don't think about the fact that I'm famous. 'Right now, I tell myself "you have an important job, but in ten years or so, no one will recognize you".'

He admitted feeling restricted by his role as pope but said by choosing to live in a humble guesthouse for priests the pope's official palatial apartments he felt liess isolated.