Pope Francis stuck a 'complaining is forbidden' sign on his door

Moaners hoping for a sympathetic audience in the Vatican should not turn to the Pope.

Pope Francis has stuck a big sign on the front door of his Vatican residence warning that "complaining is forbidden".

The message is printed in large white letters on a red sign that has appeared in recent days outside the pontiff's private apartment in Casa Santa Marta, his modest home near St Peter's Basilica.

The sign explains in Italian that "offenders are subjected to a syndrome of victimhood that lowers the mood and the ability to solve problems".

"To become the best of yourself, you must focus on your own potential and not on your own limits, so stop complaining and act to change your life for the better," the notice reads.

Anyone who is caught whining and complaining in the presence of children should expect "double sanctions".

Pope Francis reportedly decided to hang the sign up after an audience with cardinals and priests earlier this week, according to the Vatican Insider.

The sign was a gift from Italian psychologist and author of self-help books Salvo Noé, who met the Pope last month at one of his weekly audiences in St Peter's Square.

Unlike his predecessors, who typically spent the sweltering Italian summer at Castel Gandolfo, the papal residence in the cool Alban Hills, Pope Francis does not take any holiday and carries on working throughout July and August.

It has been a difficult week for the Vatican. It was announced this week that the former president and treasurer of a Vatican-owned hospital will face a tribunal hearing next Tuesday (18 July) over allegations that they siphoned off nearly £400,000 (€454,000) from the medical facility to help pay for the refurbishment of a powerful cardinal's apartment.