"I consider the practice of so-called surrogacy to be deplorable, it represents a serious violation of the dignity of women and children, based on the exploitation of the material needs of the mother", said Pope Francis. "Consequently, I express my hope for an effort by the international community to universally ban this practice", he added, according to Reuters, cited by News.ro.

Pope Francis, the spiritual leader of over 1.35 billion Catholics worldwide, also reaffirmed the Vatican's condemnation of gender theory, which suggests that gender is more complex and fluid than binary categories of male and female and depends on more than visible sexual characteristics. He called the theory "extremely dangerous, as it cancels out differences, claiming to make everyone equal".

The 87-year-old pontiff made these statements in a 45-minute speech addressed to diplomats accredited to the Vatican, often seen as his "state of the world" speech.

Pope Francis's comments are likely to provoke negative reactions from pro-LGBT+ groups, as surrogacy is often used by homosexual or lesbian partners who wish to have children.

However, these comments by the pope follow his historic decision to allow priests to bless same-sex couples.

There are few statistics on the number of children born through surrogate mothers. Due to ethical concerns, the practice is illegal in many countries worldwide, as well as in some American states. Critics of the practice warn of the potential for "poverty bias" against women becoming surrogate mothers due to financial needs.

But interest continues to grow as more women choose to delay pregnancy until later in life when fertility declines, and as more same-sex couples seek ways to start a family when they cannot conceive on their own.

In Italy, the country surrounding the Vatican, surrogacy is illegal, and the right-wing coalition led by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni promotes a law in parliament that would extend the existing ban to punish couples who go abroad to undergo the procedure.