'A child is a gift': Pope Francis calls for a ban on surrogacy, calls it 'deplorable'

Pope Francis does not approve of surrogacy.

The Head of the Catholic Church, on Monday, called for a global ban on surrogate motherhood, calling the practice "deplorable" and one that violates the dignity of the woman and the child.

"I deem deplorable the practice of so-called surrogate motherhood, which represents a grave violation of the dignity of the woman and the child, based on the exploitation of situations of the mother's material needs," Francis, 87, said in wide-ranging 45-minute address, sometimes called his "state of the world" speech, to ambassadors of 184 countries that have diplomatic relations with the Vatican, reports Reuters.

"A child is always a gift and never the basis of a commercial contract," he added. "Consequently, I express my hope for an effort by the international community to prohibit this practice universally."

Statistics on the number of babies born through surrogacy are limited and the practice is illegal in many countries across the world as well as some states in the U.S. The practice is also illegal in Italy, the country that surrounds the Vatican with Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's right-wing coalition ruling pushing to extend the existing ban to punish couples who go abroad to carry out the procedure, according to Reuters.

Surrogacy critics say that commercial surrogacy negatively impacts women who are poor and from vulnerable communities, while supporters of the practice say surrogacy gives women an opportunity to provide children to those who cannot conceive themselves and that the commercial contracts offer protection to both the surrogates and the intended parents.

Pope Francis: Pope approves blessings for same-sex couples if the rituals don’t resemble marriage

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Pope's stance on same-sex couples

Earlier in December, Pope Francis had formally permitted priests to perform blessings for same-sex couples. The document from the Vatican’s doctrine office released on Dec. 18 reaffirmed its previous statements saying marriage is a sacrament between a man and a woman. But the document says requests for blessings from same-sex couples should not be denied, so long as the blessing is not conferred at the same time as a civil union, using set rituals or with the clothing and gestures that are part of a wedding.

Meanwhile, the Pope, in his speech, also called for peace in Ukraine and an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, reported the Associated Press.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Pope Francis bashes surrogacy, calls for ban in global address