Yesterday, Pope Francis's words set off a heated discussion on the outer net.
Francis' remarks were mainly bashing couples who own pets and not children as "too selfish."
"Today... We see a selfish situation. Some people don't want to have children. ”
"Sometimes they have a child, that's all, but they have cats and dogs instead of children."
"It sounds ridiculous, but it's true."
"This is a denial of the identities of 'father' and 'mother', weakening us (human beings) and depriving us of our humanity."
"A civilization that has lost its humanity will dry up, and the lack of paternity and motherhood will bear the consequences of the state."
Francis said couples should have more children to cope with the "demographic winter" in most countries and regions in the West.
For couples who are unable to have children for biological reasons, Francis also calls on them to adopt children,
It also encourages people to "not be afraid" of parenthood and advocates for simplification of adoption procedures.
"There are always risks in having children, but the risk of not having children and denying parent-child relationships is even greater."
"Simplifying the adoption process will make the dreams of many children in need of families and couples who want to give their love come true."
"The highest form of love in this choice is also the highest form of fatherhood and motherhood."
"How many children in the world are waiting for someone to take care of them?"
In fact, this is not the first time That Francis has made these points.
He had previously worried about the "demographic winter" in the West, that is, the decline in the birth rate in developed countries.
In 2014, he said in an interview that keeping pets instead of children is "another cultural degradation phenomenon.".
The emotional relationship between people and pets is "much simpler" than the "complex" relationship between parents and children.
And earlier this year, he criticized modern society, many people regard career and making money more than building a family.
Call this mentality "social gangrene."
In the West, Francis alone thinks so, and couples who "only have pets and no children" are often targeted.
On social media, "Crazy cat ladies" and "fur babies" (pets owned by childless people) are often the subject of hype.
The former is portrayed as a lonely, unloved woman.
The latter is used to satirize people who have only pets in their homes and have no feelings for children, as self-centered narcissists or careerists.
At the same time, the birth rate in western developed countries has indeed declined in recent years, and many people do not want to have children but have pets, which is also a reality.
In 2019, Lisa Rochow, a 20-something girl living in Ipsilanti, Michigan, told reporters,
"I felt like if I were a parent, I would have to give up a big part of my life."
"That costs money, takes time, delays what you want to do."
Instead of choosing a child, she took a husky puppy home with her partner and became a shoveler.
Like them, some couples choose not to have children because of environmental or economic factors.
(Schematic)
The statistics give the same result –
Taking the data from the U.S. Census as an example, in 1970, the proportion of married and childbearing families was 40%.
By 2012, that percentage had dropped to 20 percent.
In contrast, the number of families with pets in the same period is 70%.
In the past two years, affected by the epidemic, the birth rate in Western countries has declined more significantly.
In Italy, for example, there were 22% fewer babies born in December 2020 than the same period a year earlier.
In Spain, the proportion has dropped by 20%,
France, down 13 percent.
It is probably this trend that makes Francis feel compelled to say something.
But as soon as his words came out, they caused a lot of ridicule.
Foreign media turned out a group photo of Francis caressing small animals,
For example, in 2014, he carried a small lamb on his shoulder and smiled happily;
On another occasion, he also stroked a cute little tiger.
Even Francis' predecessor, the previous Pope Benedict XVI, was implicated,
Because he is a cat lover.
So it seems that the Pope also likes small animals...
And in the media report comment area and Twitter, netizens are even more unceremoniously quarreling,
There are a few who support the "fewer pets, more children/more adopters" view.
I totally agree!
We should all have children, and no kind of love can compare to your love for your children.
When choosing not to have children, I feel like you're missing out on a good thing.
If you have the financial means to raise children, but use pets instead of children, it is very selfish.
I don't mean having children.
People choose to spend the love and affection on their pets, and there are so many children waiting in foster care institutions.
But most netizens disagree with Francis' statement.
He said that he did not know how to keep pace with the times and did not know the sufferings of the world.
It only goes to show how out of step the pope is with the times, and I'm happier to see couples with pets than parents who neither want nor can afford to have children.
Why, Pope, why don't you and your eccentric clergy want children, but expect poor families to send you choir boys?
Perhaps he and his church were willing to provide funds to raise these children?????
The cost of raising a child far exceeds the cost of having a pet.
In addition, the current state of the world is another factor that people do not want children.
You can, doesn't mean you should.
Many people should never be parents. Some shouldn't even be pet shovelers.
Almost every Catholic-majority country is poor because they have more children than they can afford.
These pets do not agree (dogs, cats, rabbits, frogs, etc.)...
The Pope said something very interesting, and he obviously forgot that he himself chose not to have children.
(Meme Review)
Oh yes, there are more humans missing on this planet.
Can anyone explain to the Pope that having children is not a necessary option?
Life is already hard: work, health, money...
In this day and age, it is a luxury to have children and raise them well.
I have both! There are children and pets!
I prefer my dog.
I know a lot of things that are bad for civilization. But dogs are not one of them.
Laugh me to death, raise children in this economic situation????
And the climate problems we're facing????
I'll stick to pets, thank you.
Netizen reply:
That's right, like I wouldn't have children, watch them slowly die in this climate catastrophe, or starve because I couldn't find a job that would make enough money to support them.
Some couples choose not to have children, which is just enough to balance with people who want more than 2 children.
Glorifying irresponsible reproduction is disgusting, and it's bad for humanity.
(Having a baby) should be heavy, not heavy.
It is selfish to bring new life into this world knowing that one's mind and mind are not yet in place.
It seems that even if the Pope speaks,
But people who don't want children, still won't give birth...
ref：
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/jan/05/pope-couples-choose-pets-children-selfish
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10371579/Pope-Francis-hits-selfish-couples-pets-instead-children.html#comments
https://twitter.com/search?q=Pope%20Francis%20pets&src=typed_query&f=top
https://twitter.com/CNN/status/1478797227929784327
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