Pope Francis said on Wednesday that people who substitute having kids by having pets show a certain level of selfishness.
He was speaking on parenthood during a Vatican general audience where he lamented about pets sometimes taking the place of children.
He said that ‘today we see a form of selfishness. We see that some people do not 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’ the Church leader said. ‘This practice is a denial of fatherhood and motherhood and diminishes us, takes away our humanity.’
Pope Francis is not known to have a pet at his Vatican residence, unlike his predecessor Benedict XVI who was an avid cat lover.
Addressing the statement, Italy’s International Organisation for the Protection of Animals (OIPA) said that it was ‘evident that for Francis, animal life is less important than human life. But those who feel that life is saved love life beyond species.’
This isn’t the first time Pope Francis expressed this opinion, having said in 2014 that having kids is very hard and relationships with animals is much easier. He also previously said that the developing world is experiencing a demographic winter.
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