childless Pope: Having Pets Instead of Kids Is 'Selfish', a 'denial of fatherhood and motherhood'

[Demovictory9]

https://www.newser.com/story/315304/pope-having-pets-instead-of-kids-is-selfish.html


Francis calls it a 'denial of fatherhood and motherhood'

Pope Francis isn't happy with people who forego having children and opt for pets instead. While discussing parenthood at the Vatican, Francis called the idea of being childless "a form of selfishness," per AFP. "We see that some people do not want to have a child,” said the pontiff. “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.” And in his view, it's a damaging reality because it amounts to "a denial of fatherhood and motherhood and diminishes us, takes away our humanity."

It's not the first time Francis has spoken out on the issue, declaring in 2014 that the idea of couples having a dog or cat instead of a child is “another phenomenon of cultural degradation." For those who cannot have biological children, Francis encouraged adoption and used the example of Joseph, presented in the Bible as the "foster-father" of Jesus, per Vatican News. “Having a child is always a risk, whether naturally or by adoption," he said. "But it is more risky not to have them, to negate fatherhood or motherhood, be it real or spiritual.”

[Throck]

1. I pretty much lost all faith in the Catholic Church years ago.

Leadership failed to acknowledge and correct the child molestation incidents for decades.

Maybe someone should have bought a puppy or kitten for the priest.

[JustAnotherGen]

2. Huh?

What about older couples? Who married older? Who deliberately did not have children out of wedlock? The hell is wrong with him?

[Demovictory9]

4. he says "adopt" then

[JustAnotherGen]

7. I saw that

Makes no sense. Countries aren't going to change their adoption laws to suit the Head Catholic in charge. What if there are physical impairments? What if you are working poor?

Seriously - some things the religious leaders say are just beyond whacko.

[PCIntern]

3. "You don't play the game, you don't make the rules."

[Behind the Aegis]

27. LOL! Right?!

[Sogo]

37. I had just logged on to post that exact saying....

I first heard it from one of my Italian friends in Boston.

Of course, they said it, "You no play-a the game; you no make-a the rules."

Sooo true....

[Me.]

5. Is He Even Vaguely Aware Of How Over-Populated The Earth Is?

and the Catholic church has a big share of the responsibility for that. And for pushing people to have children they couldn't/can't afford to feed.

[BeckyDem]

18. +1.

[gratuitous]

33. My immediate takeaway as well

Can we make sure the 7 or 8 billion who are already here are adequately fed, housed, and clothed, before we get cracking on another 2 or 3 billion?

[Me.]

41. My UNderstanding Is THat It Is Already Becoming Unsustainable

THe weight is too great

[demigoddess]

36. +2

first thing that came to my mind.

[grumpyduck]

6. So is he saying that

all Catholic priests and nuns are selfish?

[JustAnotherGen]

8. I think so

[vanlassie]

11. I'm afraid to say, but I think he is most likely

concerned for there to be specifically lots of Catholic children. Nothing else makes sense. He surely isn’t worried in general about “underpopulation?” Very disappointing.

[Thomas Hurt]

9. Yeah, if don't have babies and turn them into good Catholics the pews aren't filled.

Can't have that.

[mnhtnbb]

14. Bingo!

How else to support the lifestyle of the Vatican?

The art collection of the Vatican has been estimated to be worth $10-15 billion.

[malaise]

38. And who would his clergy have to abuse? n/t

[crickets]

10. What a silly thing to say, especially given planetary overpopulation.

Someone is just feeling outnumbered. Too bad.

[PortTack]

12. Oh please...times have changed.

Who’s gonna feed all the children he proposes ppl have?

Typical religious overreach

[Vinca]

13. What if we don't happen to like kids? I can't think of a worse thing for a child than to be here

and be unwanted.

[Haggard Celine]

15. Fucking Fool

He and the hierarchy of his church seem to think that people should only have sex when married and marry only to procreate. His ideal family, I guess, would be the Duggars.

Let's all just fuck and have so many babies we can't afford to take care of ourselves. Let's use the planet's resources up so that we constantly stay in a state of war over the dwindling amount we have left. Let's continue to manufacture goods for a population that is growing exponentially and make so much waste that we poison the planet for all living creatures. He's intelligent enough to see the writing on the wall, so why does he continue to give lip service to such bullshit pronouncements?

[Me.]

25. Right...THe Duggars

child molester and family of enablers but then the pope can relate to being an enable so I guess it's all right

[Bayard]

16. Its a very personal decision

Like having an abortion.

And some people just should not be allowed to procreate.

[634-5789]

17. After 45 years of wedded bliss, and no kids, I'm calling bullshit on the Pope.

He can think what he wants, we don't now, nor never wanted kids. Never saw the excitement of shitty diapers and phone calls at 3 AM from the local precinct. Thanks, your Popeness, but no thanks.

[LiberatedUSA]

19. I prefer my pets and my free time. N/t

[634-5789]

20. Wondering how many of the unwanted 130 MILLION ORPHANS he has at the Vatican that he's supporting.

I usually agree with his Popeness, but this time, he struck out big time.

[Sogo]

39. "I usually agree with his Popeness, but this time, he struck out big time."

Exactly my sentiments.

Who ever looks to the Pope for marriage advice, anyway??

They don't realize that many, if not most, Catholics just don't abide by the Church's views on family matters.

[634-5789]

40. I know we don't. Hell, my wife wasn't even Catholic when we got married!

In the 50's I'd been booted out for such an unfraction. This may be a reason that the pews are pretty empty.

[LaMouffette]

21. "It amounts to a denial of fatherhood and motherhood and diminishes us, takes away our humanity."

So therefore, all of those childless priests and nuns, and the pope, have diminished humanity?

Maybe the pope is priming the world for a pronouncement that the clergy can get married and have sex now?

Or maybe there are a few little Pope Francises running around, the news of which he's going to spring on the world?

Either way, I don't care what the pope thinks. My furry kids have all done nothing but enhance my humanity.

[BeckyDem]

22. You're smarter than that, I think.

A spectrum of reasons. For one, not bringing children into a world that is on fire from climate change is called being a RESPONSIBLE adult, imho.

[ColinC]

23. The Catholic religion sees the sole purpose of marriage as procreation.

One of their many tenets I don't quite agree with.

[hatrack]

24. Much as I've enjoyed Frank (esp compared to the last two guys) . . . .

. . . the titular head of the World's Oldest Child-Fucking Network can STFU.

[smirkymonkey]

32. Thank YOU!

[AngryOldDem]

26. Yes? And?

This is nothing new. One thing couples must agree to before a Catholic marriage is being open to children from that marriage. Catholic doctrine has always said procreation is the main reason for marriage.

People are free to take what is of use to them in terms of dogma and doctrine, and chuck the rest. Many, if not most, Catholics do just that.

[PlanetBev]

28. Betty White was a champion of animals

I don’t think she had children. She was, however, a wonderful pet parent and brought so much joy to so many people. I call that living your life full measure.

[Solly Mack]

29. How many kids does he have?

[ColinC]

35. ...

[Raine]

30. I'm disappointed in him,for a Pope who I heard choose his name after St Francis of Assisi

who was dedicated to the care of animals. 😔I thought this Pope was different from the others who came before but I guess not, they're all the same.

[krispos42]

31. And how does it look when people are forced to have kids?

Poverty and violent crime.

One major reason that violent crime in the US fell in the 90's was because a generation ago we finally recognized a woman's right to control her reproductive cycle. In the late 60's we saw the sharp rise of hormonal birth control, the IUD, and abortion services. Cut to a generation later, and fewer teenagers are joining street gangs or becoming violent career criminals. The number of new violent career criminals was way lower than the number of violent career criminals who were in jail, dead, or went straight.

The other reason was that at the same time as women were using birth control, we took lead out of the gasoline. Airborne levels of lead fell immediately. This is important because lead poisoning affects mental development. It makes kids dumb, shortsighted, and violent.

So in the 90's you see increasing numbers of kids with good prospects and decreasing numbers with bad prospects. And the violent crime rate dropped like a brick.

It would not surprise me to see that the uptick in crime over the last few years has its origins in the anti-abortion, anti-birth-control, anti-sex-education policies that were put in place in red states in the 90s and 2000s.

[genxlib]

34. Hoo Boy! That is one way to spin the Joseph thing

Makes him sound like a schmuck raising someone else's child after his betrothed got pregnant out of wedlock.

That whole deal has always been weird to me and somehow this just makes it worse.

[electric_blue68]

42. I really like Pope Francis (while vehemently disagreeing on certain things)...

This, however, wow what a Clunker of a comment!

(may add more later - got errands now)

[RB TexLa]

43. Ask any of those people with kids why they had them

and I bet almost all their answers begin with "I wanted . . . "

Yes, and we are the ones that are called selfish. The people with kids call us selfish too. Unbelievable.