Francis - who was mistakenly reported to have endorsed Donald Trump for US president - also attacked fake online news and its possible influence on the US presidential election. 

"Disinformation is probably the biggest evil a (communications) medium can inflict, because it steers opinions in one direction, omitting part of the truth," he said.

"I believe the media must be much clearer, more transparent, and not fall - excuse the expression - into coprophilia, which is always wanting to broadcast scandals, ugly things, true though they may be," the 79-year old Argentinian said in an interview with the Belgium Catholic weekly Tertio.

"And as people tend to suffer from coprophagia, it can be very harmful," he said.

"Communication mediums have their own temptations, they can be tempted by slander, and therefore used to slander people, to smear them. This above all in the world of politics," he said.

"They can be used as means of defamation... No-one has a right to do this. It is a sin and it is hurtful," he said.

He also spoke of the danger of using the media to slander political rivals.

"The means of communication have their own temptations, they can be tempted by slander, and therefore used to slander people, to smear them, this above all in the world of politics," he said. "They can be used as means of defamation..."

"No-one has a right to do this. It is a sin and it is hurtful," he said.

jbh/bw (AFP, AP, Reuters)