Pope Francis has denounced abortion and the bearing of children by surrogate mothers as grave offences against human dignity.

In a declaration of principles published by the Vatican on Monday, the head of the Catholic Church also condemned gender reassignment and gender theory’.

The Pope said gender theory is an offence against what he said was the God-given dignity of human beings.

A human being whether born or not is sacred and inviolable, according to the document

The termination of a pregnancy means nothing other than denying human dignity to the “most defenceless’’ beings, it added.