Pope Francis blasts couples who have pets instead of babies, encourages Italians to have more children

Pope Francis on Friday criticized couples who have pets instead of babies, joining the Italian conservative prime minister, Giorgia Meloni, in denouncing the country’s plummeting birth rate as a “national emergency.”

Speaking at an annual gathering of pro-family organizations at the Auditorium della Conciliazione in Rome, Francis warned that Italy’s record-low birthrate — just 393,000 newborns in 2022 — “reveals great concern for tomorrow.”

“I believe that the theme of natality is central for everyone, especially for the future of Italy and of Europe,” he said, noting that a country’s birthrate is “the primary indicator for measuring the hope of a people.”

“If few are born, it means there is little hope,” the 86-year-old pontiff said, adding that a low birthrate will not only have consequences “from an economic and social point of view” but will also undermine “confidence in the future.”

Francis — who apologized for “not standing to speak” because he can’t “tolerate the pain when [he’s on his] feet” — started his speech by telling the crown about a recent incident that helped him illustrate his point.

Two weeks ago, when greeting people at Saint Peter’s Square, Francis approached a woman who appeared to be around 50 years old.

“I greeted the woman, and she opened a bag and said, ‘Will you bless him, my baby?’” Her baby was a dog, Francis told the crowd.

“I did not have any patience there and I yelled at the woman, “Madam, many children are hungry, and you are here with a dog!” Francis said, according to a transcript of the speech shared by Holy See.

Italy’s record-low birthrate combined with an elevated number of deaths last year — around 714,000 — led the country’s population to drop by 3% in 2022, according to the Italian National Institute of Statistics. “The trend in population decline continues,” officials said last month.

Meloni, Italy’s first female prime minister, is heading a campaign to encourage more births — at least 500,000 more per year by 2033. The far-right politician, who was elected last year on a pro-family campaign, appeared onstage next to Francis and echoed his sentiments.

“Fixing the problem is an absolute priority,” she told the audience. “We want Italy to go back to having a bright future.”

With News Wire Services