I think this might actually be a case of him trying to steal some of the wind out of the sails of conservative cardinals. Conservative clergy have been discontent for a very long time and some people speculate that after Francis is out, the next Pope to be elected will usher in some sort of conservative reaction. It's possible that Francis is trying to make that look unnecessary by pretending to moderate his positions. Of course, I have no way of knowing any of these things for sure - this is just a guess.