‘Loving pet does not take away humanity’: Pope draws flak for ‘pet over kids’ remark

The practice, according to him "is a denial of fatherhood and motherhood and diminishes us, takes away our humanity".

New Delhi | Updated: January 7, 2022 10:26 AM IST

6 min read

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Pope Francis' remarks took social media by storm and left people largely miffed online.

Pope Francis on Wednesday suggested that couples who prefer pets to having children exhibit “a certain selfishness”. His remarks quickly went viral drawing criticism from around the world.

Speaking on parenthood during a general audience at the Vatican, the pontiff said that pets “sometimes take the place of children” in society. “Today… we see a form of selfishness,” the Pope told the audience, adding, “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,” AFP quoted him. The practice, according to him “is a denial of fatherhood and motherhood and diminishes us, takes away our humanity”.

Pope Francis later also said that people who are unable to have children for biological reasons should consider adoption, urging people “not to be afraid” in embarking on parenthood. “Having a child is always a risk, but there is more risk in not having a child,” he said.

However, this is not the first time Pope Francis has expressed a similar opinion. In 2014, he said that having pets instead of children was “another phenomenon of cultural degradation”, and that emotional relationships with pets were “easier” than the “complex” relationship between parents and children, BBC News reported.

Soon, the remarks triggered strong reactions on social media sites, particularly on Twitter where his name dominated trends. While there were some people who agreed with Pope’s views, his opinion largely irked many on the internet.

While some slammed him for dubbing people with pets as “selfish”, posting pictures with their “four-legged children”, others underlined the right to choose, arguing that parents should not have children out of obligation which may lead to unhappy childhood for such kids.

From sarcastic tweets, memes and more, netizens have been expressing their ire at the pontiff online.

https://twitter.com/EmmaCrockerDNP/status/1478908139030433793

https://twitter.com/kedi_sofa/status/1478887066863865857

https://twitter.com/RachelTiplady3/status/1478715426897121288

https://twitter.com/smiles_and_nods/status/1478897561851375618

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