Speaking during his weekly general audience in The Vatican, the Pontifex said that choosing not to have children is a “selfish” act.
“The choice not to have children is selfish. Life rejuvenates and acquires energy when it multiplies: it is enriched, not impoverished,” he said.
His comments were part of an address about the joy of children, and he went as far as to draw on a personal anecdote from his own family life during his speech.
Recalling a quote his mother made after being asked which of her five children was her favourite, Pope Francis said: “She would say, ‘I have five children like I have five fingers. If they beat one of my fingers, all five hurt. All of my children are mine, but each one is different.’”
The Pope’s latest comments echo similar statements he made last year about childlessness.
Warning against following a “culture of wellbeing”, he said: “It might be better, more comfortable, to have a dog, two cats, and the love goes to the two cats and the dog…Then, in the end, this marriage comes to old age in solitude, with the bitterness of loneliness.”
We imagine that the Pope’s latest comments will prove very controversial around the world.
