Pope Francis criticized for saying Choosing Pets Over Children Is Selfish
According to Pope Francis “a certain selfishness” is displayed by people who substitute dogs for children.
In a general audience at the Vatican, Pope Francis regretted that dogs “sometimes take the place of children”
“Today… we see a form of selfishness,” the pope added. “We see that some people do not want to have a child.
“Sometimes they have one, and that’s it, but they have dogs and cats that take the place of children. This may make people laugh but it is a reality.”
The practise “is a denial of fatherhood and motherhood and diminishes us, takes away our humanity” claimed the Catholic Church’s leader.
“civilisation grows old without humanity because we lose the richness of fatherhood and motherhood, and it is the country that suffers” the pontiff stated at the Paul VI Hall.
It’s been reported that Francis has petted dogs, a baby lamb, a tiger and a baby panther.
Unlike his predecessor, Benedict XVI, Francis does not have a pet cat in his Vatican apartment.
With regard to the sacrifices made by volunteers who preserve animals, the International Organization for Animal Protection (OIPA) of Italy said it was “strange to think that the pope considers the love in our lives limited quantitatively”
“It is evident that for Francis, animal life is less important than human life. But those who feel that life is sacred love life beyond species,” remarked OIPA President Massimo Comparotto.
It was reported in 2014 Pope Francis said having pets instead of children was “another phenomenon of cultural degradation” and that emotional bonds with dogs were “easier” than those with parents and children.
On Wednesday, he urged couples who are unable to have children biologically to explore adoption and to “not to be afraid” of motherhood.
It’s riskier to not have a child, to dispute paternity, he said.
Pope Francis has already decried the “demographic winter” or declining birth rates in the developed nations.
He called current culture’s emphasis on job and money-making above family formation “gangrene for society” earlier this year.
