POPE FRANCIS PONTIFICATES

Pope Francis has called couples who decide to have pets over children “selfish,” while instructing people to have more children in the face of declining populations.


Speaking to a general audience at the Vatican on Wednesday, 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.”