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.
IOW, rather than trust God, it is easier to use government as an excuse.
What was your namesake's teaching on pets?
I’m a farm boy. So I grew up raising and caring for animals that I would later butcher and eat. Dad and Grandpa taught me to love animals and never treat them unkindly, even if the are heading to the dinner plate. Even in the act of butchering we made sure to keep the pain and stress to the animal at a minimum
Lol ... they're all post menopause. Huge hole in the heart because these feminists never married or had children. Dogs now fill the gap.
How sad.
He was talking about married couples substituting dogs or cats for children, not about having pets in general.
Still...I remember when one old lady in the parish confessed that she had been angry with her cat, and the priest told her that what she really needed to do was find some human companionship. Her penance was to go to some social activity at the church! (I wasn’t listening outside the confessional, she talked about it later.)
Of course, this was years ago, when people still went to confession and priests still cared enough to hear them.
I see a very willing and able govermnet with it’s boot on the throat of millions of the fathers in this country. You want to sign up for that sick coin toss where heads, go about your business and tales, you lose half of everything you own, a good chunk of everything you earn for a few decades and you get to become a visitor in your kid’s life. That’s gambling with your future on piss poor odds.
You impress me as a proud American, like myself. Americans are valorous, not defeatists. Don't let the gov't become an excuse for denying yourself a proper family. Trust in God and He will not fail you.
**Pope Francis tells couples not to substitute dogs and cats for children**
Amen. The reason for getting married is to pro-create. The Bible is the guide here.
“Male and female, he made them.”
As the dollar falls out of popularity, will families go back to what they were during the Great Depression? Could be.
Hopefully Jesus is your best friend.
**because they are unable to have children, and despite a cheerful demeanor, may well feel pain because of their loss.**
But have they made an effort to adopt?
One can only hope that would be the case!
And the doctrine.
Nice try. What was my namesakes’ views on homosexuals? Compare that with Francis’ comments about homosexuals.
Nice generalization there NYer. Not all women who marry late in life and can’t have children are feminists.
My fight is over. I’m done with that game. The only way to win is not to play.
Abortion #1 battle???
That would mean he would be obsessed with it!
It's their fault, after all.
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