Pope: Church at risk if stance on gays and abortion are not balanced

Pope Francis has warned that the Catholic Church's moral edifice might "fall like a house of cards" if it does not balance its divisive rules about abortion, gays and contraception with the greater need to make the church a merciful, more welcoming place for all.

Six months into his papacy, Francis set out his vision for the church and his priorities as pope in a remarkably candid and lengthy interview with La Civilta Cattolica, the Italian Jesuit magazine. It was published simultaneously in other Jesuit journals, including America magazine in the US.

In the 12,000-word article, Francis expanded on his ground-breaking comments over the summer about gays and acknowledged some of his own faults. But his vision of what the church should be stood out, as it contrasted sharply with many of the priorities of his immediate predecessors John Paul II and Benedict XVI.

Francis said the dogmatic and the moral teachings of the church were not all equivalent.

"The church's pastoral ministry cannot be obsessed with the transmission of a disjointed multitude of doctrines to be imposed insistently," Francis said.

"We have to find a new balance; 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."