The Channel 4 journalist Jon Snow has commented on the marriage equality referendum, saying that love should be respected regardless of gender.

Speaking to Pat Kenny on Newstalk, Mr Snow said: "It's not for me as a completely objective hack to say what anybody in Ireland should do."

Mr Snow said the “democratic world” was moving towards “complete understanding and acceptance of and equal rights for transsexual and gay people”. Mr Snow said he thought that was right.

“Even the Church, even the Pope said, ‘Who am I to judge?’ which I thought was a lovely thing to say. I mean, very difficult for him to say, ‘Well, I’d like to legalise it’ and all the rest of it within the Church. He’ll never be able to do that.

“But things are all moving in that direction and if a human loves a human whatever their sex it’s got to be respected.”

Mr Snow spoke to the Philosophical Society at Trinity College, Dublin on Wednesday.

Effectively the face of Channel 4 news since 1989, his journalistic career has spanned almost three decades.

Turning to the upcoming British general election, Mr Snow said it was going to be a “jamboree”.

He said he and other journalists were looking forward to covering it. “Of course we thrill to it,” he added.