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.
ok
Never said they were! In my neighborhood, these childless women chose careers over marriage and now find themselves without the loving support of a husband or children. Alone, they have filled the void with the companionship of a dog. It's a sad testimony to the legacy of the feminist movement: "you can have it all".
This guy is really getting on my nerves.
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My dog just raised her head from the back of the couch and gave you an eye roll. :-)
Groan.
What about the pope and his priest? They chose not to marry and have children. How lonely will they be in their old age?
They might be. They might not be. But Jesus and St. Paul commend celibacy, so there's that, at least.
And there's no denying the phenomenon of puppy couples or "pet parents." Very sad, really.
I bet those people don’t care what you think!
My wife and I know the difference, but don’t tell the kids their dogs and cats weren’t equal members of the family.
We refer to our dogs as our pup children but we certainly know the difference between them and our real human children. Our human children are grown and our grandchildren are grown too. We love them all.
A lot of the choices people make turn out badly, always have, always will.
Ping this one over to Slings And Arrows.
I love these threads.
“Women with dogs who don’t have children are just bitter feminists, ha ha ha.”
But do you want more single women to have children?
“Well, anyway, men who have children are always financially wiped out by bitter feminists, so it’s better for men not to marry and have children.”
I thought the bitter feminists were single with no children.
“All women are bitter feminists. And infertile couples should be adopting all the world’s parentless children, because everyone knows that’s their obligation.”
Thanks, FR, for explaining it all!
Why of course, and the song is a purposeful joke on the theme of dog being man’s best friend.
HEY
Like me...
Pope Benedict - a Cat Guy
http://www.vetstreet.com/our-pet-experts/pope-emeritus-benedict-xvi-loves-cats
JRTs aren’t dogs - they’re tiny people in fur coats.
They’re definitely among the smartest breeds.
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