Pope Francis has criticised hypocrites in the Catholic Church. The pontiff said on Wednesday during his general audience in the Vatican that hypocrisy has taken hold of the church.

“How often do we see the scandal of these people who go to church and are there every day, and then they lead a life in which they hate others or talk badly about other people.

“Better not go to church: Live like an atheist,’’ Francis said.

During the audience, the Argentinian leader of the world’s 1.3 billion Catholics demonstrated his ability to connect with ordinary people.

He, however, received members of the Cuban National Circus, while he laughed with the dancing artists and balanced a football on his fingertip.