In a meeting with cardinals on Tuesday, Pope Francis said the Catholic Church needs to reform their main principles to establish a "modern spirit," USA TODAY reported.
Francis -- who hopes to refocus Catholicism on helping the poor, the young, and the elderly as St. Francis did -- was joined by eight cardinals from around the world to discuss changes to the Vatican bureaucracy and additional reforms.
"The church is or should go back to being a community of God's people, and priests, pastors and bishops who have the care of souls, are at the service of the people of God," he said in an interview with Italian publication La Repubblica, which was conducted in a Vatican guest house.
In the article, he also condemned the "Vatican-centric" essence of the Holy See and admitted that previous popes developed narcissistic attitudes.
"Leaders of the Church have often been Narcissus, flattered and sickeningly excited by their courtiers. The court is the leprosy of the papacy," Francis said. "This Vatican-centric view neglects the world around us. I do not share this view and I'll do everything I can to change it."
He added that he would like to see a missionary church, one that St. Francis would be proud of.
"We need to give hope to young people, help the aged and open ourselves toward the future and spread love," he said.
During the Second Vatican Council, meeting carried the church into the modern world but have not continued to successfully do so, Francis claimed. He also acknowledged that the church has not made it clear that they are open to pagans and nonbelievers.
"I have the humility and ambition to do so," he said.
To manage the Vatican's bank, Francis created a committee to look into their structure and activities -- especially after they released their first-ever annual finance report, stating a $116.95 million profit in 2012.
Last month, the pope made headlines for saying the church should redirect their energy to issues other than abortion, homosexuality, and contraception.
"We have to find a new balance," he said in an interview. "Otherwise, even the moral edifice of the church is likely to fall like a house of cards, losing the freshness and fragrance of the Gospel."
