Pope Says It's OK To Spank, With Conditions

Follow CBSDFW.COM: Facebook | Twitter

DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM) - Speaking at a general audience Wednesday, Pope Francis said that the use of corporal punishment was acceptable, with certain conditions.

Spanking is OK with the church, as long as the child's dignity remains intact - and is not done in the face according to the Pope.

"One time, I heard a father say, 'At times I have to hit my children a bit, but never in the face so as not to humiliate them,' " the Pope said. "That's great," Francis continued. "He had a sense of dignity. He should punish, do the right thing, and then move on."

This news from the Vatican comes almost a year after a UN committee focused on implementation of a children's rights treaty recommended that the Catholic church amend its laws to insure that it prohibited corporal punishment.

Opponents of corporal punishment say the Pope should be using his top position to end spanking.

"It is disappointing that anyone with that sort of influence would make such a comment," Peter Newell, coordinator of the Global Alliance to End Corporal Punishment of Children, told Inquisitr.com. "Now, 44 countries worldwide have prohibited all physical punishment, including in the family, and another 45 are clearly committed to doing so."

The Pope also said the Catholic Church must rid it's self of child sexual abuse and has asked for help in making child-predator priests a thing of the past, because families must know their children are safe with the church.

(©2015 CBS Local Media, a division of CBS Radio Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)