Forty years after their break-up, the Vatican has decided to bury the hatchet with The Beatles over the “drugs and blasphemy” and praise their contribution to music.

John Lennon stunned and offended Christians worldwide when he declared in 1966 that The Beatles were bigger than Jesus.

Vatican newspaper L’Osservatore Romano marked the anniversary of the band’s split with a front page article, “Seven Years That Shook Music”.

In it, the newspaper wrote: "It's true they took drugs, lived life to excess because of their success, even said they were bigger than Jesus and put out mysterious messages that were possibly even Satanic.

"They may not have been the best example for the youth of the day but they were by no means the worse. Their beautiful melodies changed music and continue to give pleasure."

The article added: "Thirteen albums changed the history of popular music and there is little else to add ... The Beatles were the most famous and acclaimed band in the world.

"Forty years later, The Beatles still astound with their originality and they are a consolation against the continual assault on music lovers by the record industry."