Pope Francis says Satan is a very smart person you should not argue with

'This is evil, it is not a diffuse concept, it's a person'

Pope Francis has come under fire for supporting a Chilean bishop accused of covering up abuse (AFP/Getty)

The Devil is an actual person rather than a concept, Pope Francis has claimed.

Satan is smart and should not be argued with, the Pontiff told TV2000, a Catholic broadcasting network.

"This is evil, it is not a diffuse concept, it's a person," he said.

"Satan is smart, he tells us that when we kick him out he will go, but then after a while, when you are distracted after a few years, he comes back, with seven companions worse than him.

"He is very polite, knocks at the door, rings the bell, comes in politely, and in the end he comes in with his friends."

He added: "It's important to be smart, to spot, and to have the ability to discern Satan's lies.

"With Satan you can't argue."

The Pope recently called for a change to the wording of the Lord's Prayer, arguing it is Satan and not God who leads humans to sin.

The prayer, also known as "Our Father," asks God to "lead us not into temptation," but Pope Francis said: “It is not a good translation because it speaks of a God who induces temptation."

He added: “I am the one who falls. It's not him pushing me into temptation to then see how I have fallen. A father doesn't do that, a father helps you to get up immediately.

“It's Satan who leads us into temptation, that's his department.”