Pope Francis has come under fire on social media for suggesting people who decide to have pets instead of kids exhibit “a certain selfishness”.
Yesterday while speaking about parenthood during a general audience at the Vatican, Francis lamented that pets “sometimes take the place of children” in society.
He also added that "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".
He called this practice "a denial of fatherhood and motherhood and diminishes us, takes away our humanity".
Pope Francis encouraged people who are unable to have children for biological reasons to adopt, urging people "not to be afraid" in embarking on parenthood.
Past criticism of childless people
This is not the first time the pope has criticised childless people with pets.
In 2014, he said that having pets instead of children was "another phenomenon of cultural degradation", and that emotional relationships with pets were "easier" than the "complex" relationship between parents and children.
The birth rate in Ireland has fallen in recent years -with the 2020 birth rate falling to 12.1 per 1,000 people.
It seems that more and more adults are opting for a childfree lifestyle, with many opting instead to have a pet in their life.
This may be a practical decision, with the cost of living and housing at an all-time high. New research published by laya life reveals that the average cost of raising a child until their 21st birthday in Ireland can be as much as €105,321. Pet ownership has risen over the pandemic with almost half of adults aged 50 years and over in Ireland owning a pet with dogs being most common.
Twitter users are tweeting pictures of their pets to the pope in response to his statement...
.@Pontifex look at my child pic.twitter.com/zDgxFmjwQC— rachel ❄️ (@rachel_sharpie) January 6, 2022
The Pope is entitled to his opinion… but
pet ownership is making a strong case here.*SOUND ON* pic.twitter.com/c59ySn98Re
— Heather Gardner (@heathergtv) January 5, 2022
Cat twitter getting mentally prepared to drag Pope Francis for saying people who choose pets over having kids are selfish. pic.twitter.com/AyqAlxpggp
— ClockOutWars (@clockoutwars) January 5, 2022
Ah yes, the Pope, famously and unselfishly has loads of kids pic.twitter.com/LrNtGB60Qw
— Tracy King (@tkingdot) January 5, 2022
First I am normally very supportive of Pope Francis.
Second does this mean people who choose to become priests are selfish?
Third he might want to open his mind to idea that many are actually making an unselfish decision not to have kids. https://t.co/x6B0d28LYe— Matthew Dowd (@matthewjdowd) January 5, 2022
Ah yes, the Pope, famously and unselfishly has loads of kids pic.twitter.com/LrNtGB60Qw
— Tracy King (@tkingdot) January 5, 2022
