A spokesman for the Pope spoke up for the boy wizard stories at the Vatican on Monday.

Some church groups have attacked JK Rowling's books for being "evil" and promoting witchcraft.

'Good and evil'

But the Pope's spokesman said at a press conference: "I don't see any problem in the Harry Potter series.

"They aren't bad. If I have understood well the intentions of Harry Potter's author, they help children to see the difference between good and evil."

He added that the Vatican thought JK Rowling lived her life like a Christian, and that her way of writing reflected that.