The Pope has condemned fictional wizard Harry Potter for giving children an "unhealthy interest" in Satanism.

An article in the Vatican’s official newspaper, L’Osservatore Romano, has accused J.K. Rowling’s creation of leading youngsters away from Christianity.

The paper, which is said to be a mouthpiece for Pope Benedict XVI’s views, claimed the books portrayed a "malicious image of the hero, an unreligious one" and insisted they could not be compared to the work of Lord of the Rings creator JRR Tolkein and C.S. Lewis - who wrote the Chronicles of Narnia.

L’Osservatore Romano goes on to accuse Rowling’s books of transmitting "a vision of the world and the human being full of deep mistakes and dangerous suggestions, even more seductive as it is mixed with half-truths".

Rowling’s seven Harry Potter novels have enjoyed phenomenal international success along with the series of spin-off films which have captivated audiences worldwide.