Pope Francis has wasted little time proving himself as a popular alternative to his predecessor Benedict XVI, and not just because of his more liberal perspectives on many key social issues. Whether it's posing for selfies or happily talking with a child who found his way onto a Vatican altar, Francis has continued to make headlines for his engagement with the general public.

Now, the 76-year-old pope has revealed details of some of his humble beginnings, specifically his job as a nightclub doorman. On a visit to the parish of San Cirillo Alessandrino on the outskirts of Rome, Francis revealed his somewhat unusual early job. As reported by Catholic News, Francis "told one group that when he was young, he worked as a bouncer, and that his work later in life, teaching literature and psychology, taught him how to get people back into the church."

It was one of several informal conversations Francis had with the working-class parishioners. He also confessed the pressure he felt during his first appearances as pope. He told one group, "Was I anxious? A little, yes, but everyone was nice. But it's true, having a lot of people in front of you is a bit scary. Thank God I feel really good [now]. The Lord helped me be a priest, to be a bishop and now to be the pope".

Francis isn't the only recent head of the Catholic Church to have spent some time working outside of religion. Benedict XVI endured an unhappy conscription in the Hitler Youth and the German army before becoming a professor at the University of Bonn. Among other jobs, Pope John Paul II worked as a manual labourer in a limestone quarry.