Pope Francis admits he saw psychoanalyst before he became pontiff

Pope Francis has admitted in a recent interview that he had weekly sessions with a psychoanalyst for six months during his time in Argentina.

In a series of interviews with French sociologist Dominique Wolton, the pope revealed that he consulted with a female psychoanalyst between 1978 and 1979, when he was transitioning from the difficult task of provincial superior of the Society of Jesus in Argentina to rector of the Philosophical and Theological Faculty of San Miguel.

"I consulted with a Jewish psychoanalyst. For months I went to her house once a week to clear up some things," Francis said.

"She was a doctor and psychoanalyst, and she always stayed put. Then one day, when she was about to die, she called me. Not to receive the sacraments, since she was Jewish, but for a spiritual dialogue. She was a very good person. For six months she helped me a lot, when I was 42 years old," he added.

The interviews with Wolton were recorded in a new book titled "Pope Francis: Politics and Society," which is scheduled to be published on Sept. 6.

Segments of the book were released by the French Le Figaro Magazine, in which the pope also discusses the Christian roots of Europe, gay marriage, migrants, and the influence of women in his life.

The pope admitted that he had been influenced by the communist female militant Esther Ballestrino de Careaga, who was known to be the founder a movement of mothers who decried the killing of their children by the regime in Argentina.

"She taught me to think about political reality, [...] I owe so much to this woman," Francis recounted. "I was told once: 'But you are a Communist!' No, the Communists are the Christians. It's the others who stole our banner!" he continued.

Francis also reiterated his opposition to abortion and he affirmed that marriage is a union between a man and a woman.

On the topic of Islam, the pope expressed his belief that it would be good for Muslims to have a critical study of the Quran, as Christians did with the Bible. He asserted that the historical and critical method of interpretation will help Muslims "evolve."

Crux noted that it was not surprising that Francis had consulted with a psychoanalyst, considering that Argentina has the highest number of therapist per capita in the world.

The Catholic Church had previously projected a sense of mistrust regarding psychoanalysis, but its skepticism seemed to have diminished over time.

Psychologists have been described in the updated Vatican guidelines for training priests as valuable in assessing the psychological health of candidates for the priesthood.