Pope Francis, 81, has compared having an abortion to hiring a ‘contract killer to eliminate someone.’

The Supreme Pontiff made the statement in an address to worshippers during his weekly audience on Saint Peter’s Square in the Vatican. 

‘Interrupting a pregnancy is like eliminating someone… getting rid of a human being is like resorting to a contract killer to solve a problem,’ Francis said.

In his address, the Argentine pontiff complained of a ‘depreciation of human life’. He cited wars, exploitation and what he called a culture of wastefulness, as well as abortion.

‘How can an act that suppresses innocent life be therapeutic, civil or even human?’ he asked.

This year, Pope Francis opposed a bill that would have legalized abortion in Argentina.