Pope Francis has spoken of his horror at the stories of prostitutes he met during a visit to a rescue centre as part of the Church's Year of Mercy.

In an interview with Italy's TV2000 reported by the Catholic News Agency, the Pope recalled meeting a young pregnant woman from Africa who was "beautiful, young (and) exploited".

She told him she was forced to work until she was nine months pregnant and ended up giving birth "in the winter on the street. Alone. By myself," as Francis said. Her newborn daughter died of cold.

Francis said: "They made her work until that day, because if she didn't bring the exploiters much, she was beaten, even tortured."

He spoke of another woman he met in the community who had her ear cut off because she failed to make enough money for her traffickers.

Francis appealed to the consciences of those who used prostitutes as well as the traffickers, saying: "Do they not know that with that money, to take off for sexual satisfaction, they helped the exploiters?"

The meeting took place as part of the Pope's regular 'Mercy Friday' encounters in which he would set time aside to visit projects aimed at helping needy people. He cited it when he was asked if any encounters had a particular impact on him.

He also spoke of a visit to a hospital neonatal unit which reminded him again of the sin of abortion, which he described as a "horrible crime". "They send them away because 'it's better like this', 'because you are more comfortable', or because 'it's a big responsibility'." This, he said was "a serious sin".

He was also asked about the temptations a Pope faces, replying that they are "the temptations of any person, of any man". He said the devil always uses these weaknesses to enter, naming impatience, egoism and "a bit of laziness" as examples.

He spoke of his "allergy" to flatterers, because "to flatter another is to use the person for a purpose... to get something for oneself".