Spanking children to discipline them is acceptable as long as their dignity is maintained, Pope Francis, leader of the world's more than 1.2 billion Catholics, said this week.

According to The Guardian the pontiff encouraged parents to forgive but also "correct with firmness" as he outlined what he considers the traits of a good father during his weekly general audience.

"One time, I heard a father in a meeting with married couples say, 'I sometimes have to smack my children a bit, but never in the face so as to not humiliate them,'" Pope Francis said.

The pope called the man's remarks "beautiful," noting that he understood "the sense of dignity."

"He has to punish (the children) but does it justly and moves on," Pope Francis explained.

Pope Francis' comments drew almost immediate criticism from advocacy groups, The Telegraph reports.

Peter Saunders, the founder of Britain's National Association for People Abused in Childhood, told the newspaper that the pope's comments were "very misguided."

"I'm surprised he said it, although he does come up with some howlers sometimes," Saunders said. "It is a most unhelpful remark to have made, and I will tell him that."

Saunders, a sex-abuse victim, is a member of the Vatican commission on protecting children from abusive priests that is set to hold its first full meeting on Friday in Rome.

The Rev. Thomas Rosica, who works with the Vatican press office, cautioned observers not to deliberately misunderstand a pope who merely "ushered in a revolution of normalcy of simple speech and plain gesture," The Guardian said.

"Who has not disciplined their child or been disciplined by parents when we are growing up?" Rosica asked in an email. "Simply watch Pope Francis when he is with children and let the images and gestures speak for themselves. To infer or distort anything else ... reveals a greater problem for those who don't seem to understand (Francis)."

The Rev. Antonio Mazzi, who is well-known in Italy for his television appearances, further upped the ante.

"This pope is always astounding us because he uses the same language we use," Mazzi said. "Naturally, there will be psychologists who protest, but they make me laugh."

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