Pope Francis' weekly audience was unexpectedly interrupted by a man denouncing the Church as he shouted from the audience hall.

The Pontiff was delivering his weekly audience at the Vatican when a voice in the crowd was heard saying "The Church is not the way God wants it."

"God rejects you, Father. You're not a king," he continued as he waved his arms in the air.

Vatican police and a Swiss Guard swiftly removed the man from the Paul VI hall.

Addressing the disruption, the Pope later said he didn't know if the man had "physical, psychic or spiritual" problems, but that "one of our brothers was in trouble."

"I would like to finish by praying for him, our brother who is suffering," he continued. 

"We must not be deaf to our brother's needs."

A Vatican source said the man was an Irish national living in Rome who had made similar outbursts in several Roman basilicas in the past.

Following the incident, the man was handed over to Italian police.