The Pope is “shocked” by gay adoption, according to the Bishop of Malta.

Bishop Charles Scicluna of Malta defended his Christmas sermon in which he condemned adoption between same-sex couples by claiming that Pope Francis gave the anti-gay sentiments of the address his blessing.

The Bishop told the congregation that God’s own son was raised by a man and a woman, and not by two men or two women.

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In an interview with The Sunday Times of Malta, Bishop Scicluna said he met with Pope Francis on 12 December, and the pair discussed “many aspects” of the Bishop’s sermon.

Bishop Scicluna said The Pope was “shocked” by the Maltese Civil Unions Bill that aims to legalise gay adoption.

“When I raised the issue that’s worrying me as a bishop [gay adoption] he encouraged me to speak out," said Bishop Scicluna.

Previously, the Bishop said that the sexual activity of heterosexual couples has a “fundamental role in producing future members of society” whereas the sexual activity of same-sex couples does not “as it does not produce offspring”.

The news comes after Pope Francis was voted person of the year by leading gay rights magazine The Advocate after he said: “If someone is gay and seeks the Lord with good will, who am I to judge?”

However, as Argentina’s Cardinal Bergoglio, he condemned gay adoption and marriage, but supported civil partnerships as the lesser of two evils.

In other news, the Pope gave his blessing via a video link from the Vatican to a Mass in Madrid that supported government moves to tighten restrictions on abortion in Spain.

The new abortion law would allow terminations only in the case of rape or when there is a serious health risk to the mother or foetus.