Washington, Aug 26 : A leading Latino Catholic cardinal has slammed Ricky Martin's baby news, insisting that the pop star has acted without dignity.

The Puerto Rican singer recently fathered twin boys, born to a surrogate mother, who is rumoured to be a cousin of the singer.

And, following on from congratulations from his pop peers, those who aren't happy about Martin's new paternal role are speaking out now.

The cardinal of Honduras, Oscar Andres Rodriguez, accuses the singer of going against human dignity.

On a visit to Chile, the Catholic leader said, "What Martin did diminishes the dignity of a human being. You can't just buy or rent life. It's even worse when someone famous and in the public eye is doing it."

And he isn't alone - Mexican talk show host Esteban Arce has also spoken out against Martin.

"I don't think it's right to deny children of maternal figures, just because you have a big ego," Contactmusic quoted Arce, as saying on his show Matutino Express.

ANI