Couple walking their beagle dog in the autumn countryside. Photo courtesy of Halfpoint via Shutterstock
Posted on 06/02/2014 1:30:43 PM PDT by NYer
Couple walking their beagle dog in the autumn countryside. Photo courtesy of Halfpoint via Shutterstock
VATICAN CITY (RNS) Pope Francis on Monday (June 2) warned married couples against substituting cats and dogs for children — a move that he said leads to the “bitterness of loneliness” in old age.
The pope made his comments as he celebrated daily Mass with 15 married couples in the chapel at the Santa Marta residence where he lives inside the Vatican.
He reminded the couples, whose marriages ranged from 25 to 60 years, of the need for faithfulness, perseverance and fertility in maintaining a Christian marriage.
But he went a step further and strongly criticized those couples who choose not to have children, saying they had been influenced by a culture of “well-being” that says life is better without kids.
“You can go explore the world, go on holiday, you can have a villa in the countryside, you can be carefree,” the pope said.
“It might be better — more comfortable — to have a dog, two cats, and the love goes to the two cats and the dog. Is this true or not? Have you seen it?
“Then, in the end this marriage comes to old age in solitude, with the bitterness of loneliness.“
The 77-year-old pontiff made his comments after recent figures confirmed a drop in birth rates in the U.S., Italy and elsewhere.
Figures released by Italy’s official statistics agency Istat last week showed the country’s birth rate hit a record low in 2013, with the birth of only 515,000 babies — a drop of 64,000 over the past five years — and a worrying trend as the population ages.
Last year, Time magazine provoked a national debate with a controversial issue entitled “The Childfree Life,” which also showed a dramatic fall in the U.S. birth rate and the role of personal choice.
“Married life must be persevering, because otherwise love cannot go forward. Perseverance in love, in good times and in difficult times, when there are problems: problems with the children, economic problems,” the pope said.
Bloody fracking auto correct
Is your new baby all right?
Except perhaps for the woman in the next story who dragged her infant down the aisle on the train of her wedding dress.
Actually,they like the Dog-ma!
Tell you what, popester...how about you get rid of the divorce industry and the and the man hating courts along with their enablers in fedgov that have all conspired to make having children more of a potential risk than a reward and we’ll talk. A lot of us have found that a dog or cat doesn’t come with the government bullseye that having kids come with.
Yes she is. I have a prayer thread about it. She is stable and improving every day. My bride’s water broke in January, and our little girl was born on May 21. Only thing is the lungs, which need time to grow.
Why are so far outside the odds right now that the doctors don’t know what to tell us. Other than it’s a miracle
Pissed me off when, yet again, I heard and saw all sorts of tweets and FB posts this year on Mother’s Day about, “even if your children have fur, happy Mother’s Day”. Oh, STFU!
Moved up into the country last year and what struck me most was the amount of dog grooming places around here. I couldn’t believe there was that much business to justify all these places.
Just weird man, just weird.
Now I think I know who is living in those McMansions down the road. :)
“Who am I to judge?”
I agree with you...I have 4 kids but I think the love in a family very naturally fans out to pets and livestock. The Good Lord put us on this earth with them, after all!
I think Francis is talking more about the thing that creeps you out.
I’ve seen it also. The hospital my daughter is in is in a nice university town. There are more.dog parks than playgrounds. Even the nurses say it is very odd
While you make a good point, the growth in pet products has skyrocketed over the past 20 years. Such growth stems from demand. In my townhouse community, the number of pets has grown significantly over the past 20 years. I began with one dog to appease my 8 year old daughter's desire to have a pet. That one was the first of several. Meanwhile, the aging, single women in our community began to fill the void of childlessness, with a furry companion. Last summer, we were invited to a dog's 1st birthday party, replete with cakes for canines and humans, doggie bags packed with goodies to take home, and doggie games. Another single, childless woman, purchased a tricycle equipped with a basket, in order to take her aging pooch for rides around the neighborhood. IOW, pets have been replaced with companions, often referred to as "kids" by their humans. This growing trend has generated a huge market of products. The pope has it right!
If these women are single, they shouldn’t be having children.
He was talking to married couples.
You are absolutely right! Dogs are animals. My basset hound is a rescue and I enjoy her companionship. However, I keep things in perspective: she is an animal, not a person. I would not cook her, though, if we were starving.
I’m so glad to hear that. Prayers are on the way for her continued improvement!
For folks who live alone such as I, having pets is a blessing.
I was responding to post #33.
“...drop in birthrates...”
It’s called abortion, el Popey. That should be your No. 1 battle.
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