Pope Francis has criticised fake news, saying it is spawned from the devil and comparing it to the snake in the Garden of Eden.

The strongly-worded condemnation came in his annual message on social communications as he called a rediscovery of the 'dignity of journalism' and urged reporters be 'truthful and opposed to falsehoods, rhetorical slogans, and sensational headlines'.

Fake news, he said, plays on stereotypes and prejudices and first appeared in the Garden of Eden when Eve was tempted to eat the forbidden fruit because the serpent twisted what God had actually told them.

'The strategy of this skilled "Father of Lies" is precisely mimicry, that sly and dangerous form of seduction that worms its way into the heart with false and alluring arguments,' he said of the snake, which represents Satan.

The pontiff did not refer directly to politicians, such as US President Donald Trump, who brand unflattering news stories as 'fake news' to try and discredit accurate information.

Pope Francis himself has not always had positive relationships with the press. While a bishop in Argentina he was known for having frosty dealings with reporters and told reporters on the papal plane that he hated giving interviews.

'And look at the job God gave me now,' he joked.