Pope Francis warns pets must not replace children in Italy

[JI7]

Maybe he can start by changing the rules for church officials. And he got angry at a woman that wanted her dog blessed becsuse there are hungry children ? Then how about making sure children aren't going hungry before asking for more children ?


In his speech in Rome, the Pope said the declining birth rate signalled a lack of hope in the future, with younger generations weighed down by a sense of uncertainty, fragility and precariousness.

"Difficulty in finding a stable job, sky-high rents and insufficient wages are real problems," he said

Warning that pets were replacing children in some households, the Pope recounted how a woman had opened her bag and asked him to "bless her baby".

Except it was not a baby, but a small dog.

"I lost my patience and told her off: there are many children who are hungry, and you bring me a dog?" he added, triggering a round of applause from the crowd.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-65572153

[LakeArenal]

1. Mr Lake: "What does that guy know about either?"

‘Nother old white guy who best shut up.

[PortTack]

2. Pets don't need blessing..their perfect as is!

As far as young ppl not wanting kids..right now who would?

[LakeArenal]

4. If the Vatican took a vow of poverty, maybe the Italian economy would improve ....

From a Vatican rummage sale.

[PortTack]

39. ☝️☝️☝️☝️☝️

[LakeArenal]

6. WTF????

Current generations are going to save our Democracy


Also speak for your own kids not mine.

[niyad]

9. You forgot the sarcasm thingy, yes???

[Torchlight]

12. I'd guess every older generation has said the very same

for the past 250,000 years.

Horace proclaiming, “The beardless youth… does not foresee what is useful, squandering his money.” or Barnes writing “Youth were never more sawcie, yea never more savagely saucie..."

[Sky Jewels]

21. The current young generation is a lot better than the ones that went before it.

And I'm speaking as someone who belongs to an older generation. Gen Z inherited a raw deal on so many levels, thanks to the selfishness and greed of a lot of people who were born mid-20th century and before. (Yeah, yeah, "not all" Boomers, Gen X, Silents, are bad, etc.)

[Polybius]

24. Nah, Xers are the best

And will will never be surpassed.

[Sky Jewels]

25. I'm an old Xer (mid-60s born).

Judging from a lot of the people I went to high school with and their Facebook pages, we suck (in general).

[Polybius]

27. The old Xers may suck

But the ones born in the 70's that played with the awesome 80's toys and video games are the coolest ever!

[Sky Jewels]

28. I have to agree with you.

My age cohort entered high school when that asshole Reagan got elected, and a lot of the old Xers drank the Kool Aid ... and still do. (I personally never did -- Reagan was what turned me from a non-political young teen into a raving liberal.)

[Polybius]

34. I was in the third grade when he got elected

I had no idea what the difference between a Democrat and a Republican was at the time. All I remember is my mom was upset because she liked Carter a lot.

As for Kool-Aid, she was a Reagan supporter by 1984. I don't know how he converted so many Democrats.

[Sky Jewels]

35. My parents were moderate Republicans in the 70s.

(Pro choice, pro environment, atheists, etc.) I remember my Dad defending his vote for Reagan by saying that Carter had let interest rates get way too high. But the Republicans' extremism lost both my parents by the early 90s, and they both voted for Clinton.

They were born in the 30s, which turned out to be a very conservative age demo (yes, many exceptions, blah blah...). I later discovered that a lot of their friends were right wing/racists. But in the 70s, when I was a kid, politics wasn't really so in-your-face and the country wasn't as polarized, and I was oblivious to most of it.

[Aristus]

22. Umm...

I thought we were better than the "kids these days..." generation. I guess not.

Well, I've seen enough of the younger generations today to feel a great deal of hope and optimism. Young people today know exactly who screwed up their future for them, and they're not going to take any more of the 'Greatest Generation's' shit. Kill the world in order to make a profit; pollute the air and oceans to make a profit; kill other people to make a profit; fight endless, pointless wars to make a profit. Well, they're the ones getting killed and not reaping any profit, so they're pushing back against what has become, for them, the American Nightmare.

If that's weakness, I'll take it.

[ForgoTheConsequence]

23. Come again?

This 38 year old chose not to have kids because I wanted to see the world and make a difference. I guess that makes me mentally ill.

[Autumn]

5. Fuck that guy. Who is he to judge?

[walkingman]

7. He just wants to perpetuate that BS.

[no_hypocrisy]

8. My sister didn't speak to our mother for 4 months

b/c Mom said “Your dogs aren’t your children.”

Way to smoke, Frank.

[Big Blue Marble]

10. There are plenty of people in the world.

Invite some in from over populated areas.

[niyad]

11. hmm, did frankie miss that climate change thing about having fewer/no

children?

[Effete Snob]

13. The Vatican birth rate is pretty dismal

[hlthe2b]

14. Pssst. Remember your namesake, Pope Francis? We bless/look after the helpless, right?

Not the approach I'd pick, that's for sure. Those who do NOT love animals are generally not going to love children either.

[edhopper]

15. pets are better

you just nurture them for about a decade and they return love. Kids last your whole life and you have to deal with all their bullshit.

[RobinA]

16. Dude,

Your big guy isn't doing too good with a lot of children in the world, so maybe he should practice on dogs first.

[Coventina]

17. Fuck you, Frank! How many hungry children could you adopt?

Get outta here with that shit!!!

[montanacowboy]

18. What the world does NOT need

is more people - you are wrong on this one Popie - more pets less people

[Sky Jewels]

19. Global warming is a huge factor in people not wanting to bring kids into this world.

And his evil church has been a huge part of the overpopulation problem that has contributed to this nightmare.

[moondust]

20. Was fear of a "declining birth rate"

a motive for the Catholic Church's opposition to safe abortion?

[gratuitous]

26. Dear Your Popeness (and other opponents of a declining birth rate)

We're doing a piss-poor job of taking care of the 8 billion or so people currently occupying the planet, and you want MORE people brought into this calamity? A privileged handful live lives of unparalleled luxury while millions, even billions, starve unprotected from the elements. By any religious definition, this is a sin, and not one of those little venial sins, either. No, this is one of those mortal sins, the kind that (if I remember by catechism) puts your eternal sole in peril of everlasting damnation.

I no longer subscribe to Catholic dogma, but if you do Your Popeness, I implore you, nay, I beseech you in the very bowels of Christ, to set an example by which all persons can live without fear and a more equitable and just distribution of wealth and resources.

Oh, and leave the dog alone.

[Vinca]

29. I don't know. Given the choice, I'd opt for the furry baby.

[roamer65]

30. Pets are more loyal and cheaper.

[betsuni]

31. Just make dogs pay taxes. Problem solved.

[LiberalFighter]

32. He is so out of touch. How much is in the bank account of the Papacy?

[BlueCheeseAgain]

33. Did anyone read the article or the provided snippet before saying "F*** you" to Francis?

A lot of what he says sounds like things we would agree with.

Starting a family in Italy is becoming a "titanic effort" that only the rich can afford, Pope Francis has warned.

"Difficulty in finding a stable job, sky-high rents and insufficient wages are real problems," he said.

Italy's birth rate is 1.24 babies per woman, far far below the 2.1 replacement rate. Even if one thinks that human population should decline a bit, that is a pretty steep drop.

[wnylib]

36. If Francis is concerned about the hungry children

in the world, he could help by dedicating some of the Vatican wealth to fight hunger.

And it is rather ironic that a pope named Francis would belittle affection for animals.

[llmart]

37. I'd like to suggest Italy replace the pope with pets.

They're much more useful.

[msfiddlestix]

38. I'm laughing at the stark irony which I know isn't lost on any of us.

He is correct on the cause and effect, but he's wrong wagging his finger in an attempt to shame or guilt trip (Catholics are so good at this) or issuing edicts on the subject.

Yes, the writing is on the wall throughout the world, so no having children in a world that will likely kill them or torture through warfare on the street, in their schools or far away places is not something to contemplate much less dream of having anymore.

But having pets can be an emotional substitute and a better option in these times.

I have some thoughts about Religion and their leaders I'll refrain from expressing here, except to say, I hope to see a significant decline in worshiping these ageless cults and their "leaders" which has done so much damage to our humanity, throughout the ages.