A Polish priest has called Lego a tool of Satan, saying its miniature depictions of vampires, ghosts and werewolves are turning children over “to the dark side”.

Speaking in a Lent service directed at parents in the Polish town of Wolsztyn, Father Slawomir Kostrzewa mourned the lost innocence of the hugely popular Danish toy.

He said that until recently, Lego bricks represented a “very desirable toy for children, because of their educational value”.

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But he decried the new Lego Monster Fighters range, which features “evil” characters including Lord Vampyre, The Ghosts, The Werewolf, The Swamp Creature and the completely non-derivative Crazy Scientist’s Monster.

“Friendly fellows have been replaced by dark monsters,” Father Kostrzewa explained.

“These toys can have a negative effect on children. They can destroy their souls and lead them to the dark side.”

According to reports in the Telegraph, the priest also based his view of Lego on research carried out by New Zealand’s University of Canterbury, which suggested the toys had developed increasingly “angry” facial expressions over the years.

“Facial expressions may be lead to confusion between good and evil,” Father Kostrzewa said. “It appears the good suffer in battle and the ‘villains’ have a face showing satisfaction with their evil deeds.”

Lego is not the first toy considered evil by the outspoken priest. According to reports in Polish media, Father Kostrzewa has previously railed against My Little Pony and Hello Kitty, saying the latter promotes “violence and the pornography industry”.

The priest accused toy manufacturers of either cooperating with Satanic sects and Freemasons or actively being part of them.

A spokesperson for Lego was unavailable to comment.