"I feel that I should not have to continually justify myself to people who donotunderstandthis, however I will say one thing only -- I am not the man that some people like to portray, " Di Canio said in a statement on Sunderland's website on Wednesday.
"I donot want to say that Pope Benedict XVI did notunderstandthis, but for him this generation is remote and it is probably better if he is succeeded by someone from the younger generation, " he said.