“Many, many couples do not have children because they do not want to, or they have only one child, but there are two dogs and two cats in the family … Yes, dogs and cats have taken the place of children. That sounds ridiculous, I understand, but that’s the reality. ” said the pope.
Francis believes that denying the role of mother and father diminishes our humanity and contributes to the aging of civilization.
“Sometimes a joke is asked, ‘Who will pay taxes on my pension if there are no children?’ But it is true. Who will take care of me? ”
The pope has previously warned of a “demographic winter” in many parts of Europe, as no country in the European Union has an average birth rate of at least two children per woman, which would be necessary for society to reproduce without attracting immigrants.
Although the official doctrine of the Catholic Church denies contraception, the birth rate in Catholic countries such as Italy and Spain is one of the lowest in Europe, for example in Italy it is only an average of 1.27 children per woman.
Birth rate in European Union countries (average number of children per woman)
Photo: Eurostat
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In his speech, Pope Francis also emphasized parental responsibility. “It is not enough to give birth to a child to become a child’s father or mother. A man does not become a father simply by having a child. He becomes a father, taking responsibility for the care of the child, ”the pope said, citing Jesus, the father of Jesus.
Couples who cannot have children for biological reasons have called for Pope Francis to consider adopting a child. “Yes, adoption means risk; the child’s entry into the family is always associated with a risk, whether natural or through adoption. But it is even more risky to be without children, ”the pope said, noting that men and women who have not taken on the role of father or mother lack something very important in life.
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