Pope Francis: Have Children, Not Pets

During a Vatican mass yesterday, Pope Francis declared that people who have pets instead of children will end up bitter and lonely.

The Pope criticised couples who decide not to have children during the service, saying they had been seduced by the myth that a life of material comfort is better than raising a family. ‘You can go explore the world, go on holiday, you can have a villa in the countryside, you can be carefree,’ 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. Is this true or not? Have you seen it?’, the Pope added. ‘Then, in the end this marriage comes to old age in solitude, with the bitterness of loneliness,’ he went on to say. The remarks came over the Pope told those gathered that the three most important aspects of a Christian marriage are fidelity, perseverance and ‘fruitfulness’, according to Vatican Radio.

Local observers believe the Pope may have been alluding to a new report on Italy’s birth rate, which continues to decline.