Pope Francis has warned couples not to
substitute cats and dogs for children, saying it will only lead to
solitude and the 'bitterness of loneliness' in old age.
Celebrating
daily Mass in the Vatican yesterday, the Pope said owning pets may be
'more comfortable' than raising children, but did not offer the same
opportunities for love and godliness.
He
made his comments during a special service with 15 couples - all of
whom have been married between 25 and 60 years - in the chapel at his
Santa Marta residence.
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.
The
pope's remarks come just a week after Italy announced a record low
birthrate for 2013, dropping 64,000 over the past five years.
With the birth of only 515,000 babies last year, the fall marks a worrying trend as the country's population ages.
On
Sunday the Pope appeared at the Stadio Olimpico football stadium in
Rome to tell a rally of 50,000 members of the Catholic Charismatic
Renewal movement that Satan is trying to destroy the domestic family.
During the event the Pope heard testimony from a number of local people - including a family of five.
After listening to them speak, the Pope said families face attacks from the devil 'because Jesus grows in parents’
love and children’s lives.'
He then asked God to bless families and to give
them strength to withstand the devil’s attacks.
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