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Pope Francis accuses childless pet owners of ‘selfishness’
The Catholic leader blames them for robbing the world of
‘the richness of fatherhood and motherhood’
© Grzegorz Galazka / Vatican Pool / Getty Images
Speaking at the Vatican, Pope Francis has criticized individuals who let pets “take the place of children” for leaving civilization “without humanity,” saying they deprive society of “the richness of fatherhood and motherhood.”
The Pope’s address to a general audience on Wednesday risked sparking the anger of childless pet owners by once again taking aim at their decision to avoid parenthood.
The condemnation from the pontiff came despite him seemingly being a fan of animals, having been photographed stroking dogs, a tiger, and a baby panther. During the 2014 Epiphany, the Pope even had a baby lamb draped over his shoulders.
Regardless, the Pope argued that people who do not want to have a child, choosing instead to have pets, exhibit a “form of selfishness.”
“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,” the pontiff said.
Civilization grows old without humanity because we lose the richness of fatherhood and motherhood, and it is the country that suffers.
The Pope’s predecessor, Benedict XVI, was known to be a fan of cats, owning a black-and-white feline called Chico. Francis is not thought to have any pets at his Vatican apartment.
Addressing couples who biologically are unable to have their own children, the pontiff argued that individuals should “not be afraid” to embark on parenthood by adopting.
“Having a child is always a risk, but there is more risk in not having a child, in denying paternity,” Pope Francis said, reiterating concerns he raised in 2014 that not having kids is a “phenomenon of cultural degradation.”
Now, he could be talking about gays here; or, he could be talking about Catholic priests! Although it's probably better ............... if I don't complete that thought.
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Ricky Gervais calls Pope Francis 'stupid' over comments
about people having pets instead of kids
Being called stupid by Ricky Gervais is like a badge of honour
Publishing date: Jan 13, 2022
The head of the Catholic Church recently expressed concern over global birth rates and suggested pets are “taking the place of children” while branding it “a form of selfishness”.
Asked about the comments, Ricky – who is vocal about his atheism – told ‘The Radio Times Podcast’: “I think what he believes in is ridiculous.
“It’s a stupid thing to say, isn’t it? How can not having children be selfish? How can it be selfish not to bring something into the world that doesn’t exist on any level?
“It’s not like there’s a big line or cage of unborn foetuses going: ‘We want to be born’. It doesn’t make any sense.”
The ‘After Life’ star explained he and his partner Jane Fallon don’t have children of their own for a number of reasons, but he’s happy with his pets.
He added: “I don’t have kids for many reasons but one is that there’s enough. No one’s going, ‘Gervais isn’t having kids, we’re going to run out soon.’ ”
His comments come after Pope Francis addressed procreation during a weekly general audience at the Vatican.
He said: “Today… we see a form of selfishness. 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. This may make people laugh but it is a reality.”
Meanwhile Ricky, 60, isn’t he doesn’t need to stay clear of controversial topics to avoid the risk of offending people because he feels it is importance to push boundaries and confront audiences with new ideas.
He said: “It depends on what the joke is. I can’t stress that enough. I’ll carry on exploring taboo subjects because I like taking the audience to a place they haven’t been before.”
That's a lot like parenthood! Children take you to new levels of personal and inter-personal growth. God uses children to bless us and to help us grow in character. Given Gervais' ego, it's curious that he doesn't see that raising a child in his own image would be good for the world.
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Catholic Church outraged after coffin covered with Nazi flag
Photos and videos of a funeral in Italy show mourners covering a coffin
with a Nazi flag and making fascist salutes
The Vicariate of Rome has issued a statement condemning a funeral procession outside a church that saw mourners gather around a swastika-covered casket while shouting ‘Presente!’ and making fascist salutes with their right arms.
Italian news site Open published photos and videos of the situation outside St. Lucia church in Rome, sparking backlash over the presence of the Nazi symbol at a religious establishment.
In a statement released on Tuesday, the Catholic Church in Rome denied any knowledge of what transpired, claiming the parish priest and the priest who conducted the funeral were unaware what happened outside after the service concluded.
“This ideological and violent exploitation, especially following an act of worship near a sacred place, remains serious, offensive and unacceptable for the church community of Rome and for all people of goodwill in our city,” the Vicariate of Rome said.
The Vicariate stated that the parish had confirmed that the events outside the church “took place without any authorization from either the parish priest or the celebrant priest” who had been “unaware” of the planned events before they occurred, calling the Nazi flag “a horrible symbol irreconcilable with Christianity.”
St. Lucia church was quick to distance itself “from every word, gesture and symbol used outside the church, attributable to extremist ideologies far from the message of the Gospel of Christ.”
Pope Francis, who is officially the bishop of Rome, has not commented on the situation so far.
It would be nice to know a little about the person whose body was in the coffin. Perhaps St Lucia Church should have refused to hold any kind of service for him.
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