The Pope has blamed the Catholic Church sexual abuse scandal on the devil.
Pope Francis has spoken following a number of high-profile sexual abuse stories breaking across the world, saying: "(The Church must be) saved from the attacks of the malign one, the great accuser and at the same time be made ever more aware of its guilt, its mistakes, and abuses committed in the present and the past."
The Pope also told Catholics to join in a special prayer daily during October to try and keep the devil at bay.
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According to the Pope, praying to St Michael - who, according to the Bible, was one of the saints responsible for booting Lucifer out of Heaven in the first place - is necessary in an attempt to ward off the devil.
If you're keen on giving it a go, the prayer reads: "St Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle. Be our defence against the wickedness and snares of the devil. May God rebuke him, we humbly pray, and do thou, O Prince of heavenly hosts, by the power of God, thrust into hell Satan, and all evil spirits, who prowl about the world seeking the ruin of souls."
He has previously made it known that he believes that the devil is real and is a proper threat to the world.
Speaking in April, His Holiness wrote: "We should not think of the devil as a myth, a representation, a symbol, a figure of speech or an idea. This mistake would lead us to let down our guard, to grow careless and end up more vulnerable."
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This isn't the first time the Pope has mentioned the scandal within the Church. Speaking while on tour in August this year, he said: "None of us can fail to be moved by the stories of young people who suffered abuse, were robbed of their innocence and left scarred.
"This open wound challenges us to be firm and decisive in the pursuit of truth and justice. I beg forgiveness for these sins and for the scandal and betrayal felt by so many others in God's family," he said, to applause from the crowd.
He also privately met with eight victims of abuse and vowed to make a 'greater commitment to eliminating the scourge'.
Topics: World News