Pope Francis tells couples not to substitute dogs and cats for children

[Nanni_amore]

An infertile couple won’t be bitter and lonely in old age since the Pope was not directing his comment at them, you say. A single person should be no less bitter and lonely since the Pope was not referring to this group, you claim. But somehow a married couple who, by their own choice, don’t have kids are the ones who are going to be the ones who end up bitter and lonely.

I don’t know…
Seems to me there are many ways an infertile couple can be life-giving outside of pet ownership.

usnews.com/news/articles/2013/05/22/americans-spend-61-billion-on-pets-annually The charts in this article support the fact that more people are spending more money on pets every year. Also, more husband/wife households spend more $ per year on pets than husband/wife & children households.

Fertile or non fertile is not the question but rather how life giving a couple chooses to be. Have children. Adopt children. Foster children. THEN buy them a pet if there is extra time and money to support that recreation.

 

[Marie5890]

An infertile couple won’t be bitter and lonely in old age since the Pope was not directing his comment at them, you say. A single person should be no less bitter and lonely since the Pope was not referring to this group, you claim. But somehow a married couple who, by their own choice, don’t have kids are the ones who are going to be the ones who end up bitter and lonely.

That is why I find his words odd and illogical.

The whole “lonely and bitter” comment…

 

[LongingSoul]

An infertile couple won’t be bitter and lonely in old age since the Pope was not directing his comment at them, you say. A single person should be no less bitter and lonely since the Pope was not referring to this group, you claim. But somehow a married couple who, by their own choice, don’t have kids are the ones who are going to be the ones who end up bitter and lonely.

I’m not sure what language the Pope would have used for this speech, but the concept was translated as the “bitterness of loneliness” not bitterness ***and ***loneliness. I’m supposing he is identifying a type of loneliness. As I’ve said before, not all loneliness is ‘bitter’. The causes of loneliness infuse it with a quality either God oriented or self oriented.

 

[Nanni_amore]

While some here are concerned about a few words…Clement of Alexandria had no problem speaking clearly about the cultural trends of his time.

“Some men instead of learning how to keep house and look after
themselves, have recourse to domestic servants and get themselves cooks and housemaids.
Others womanizers spend whole days with their lady loves,
telling lewd stories and corrupting them with their remarks and
deceitful actions.
Others still become slaves to lust through the influence of high-ranking prostitutes and behave like pigs at the trough.
Some of our women are happy to spend their lives in the company
of effeminate men.
Other women more sophisticated amuse themselves, bringing up as pets such creatures as birds or peacocks. They play with them and find their pleasure in them but they neglect the widow who is obviously worth more than a thorough bred lapdog and they despise the elderly who in my opinion are more deserving of the love than an animal is. They do not entertain orphans but they do bring up parrots. Or they completely abandon their offspring out-of-doors while they coddle their pet birds in the house and they do not give any food to the hungry even though they are more beautiful than a monkey and know how to say something more interesting than the song of the nightingale.” Clement of Alexandria The Teacher PG8,592 Drinking From the Hidden Fountain, Spidlink

 

[Thorns]

I don’t know…
Seems to me there are many ways an infertile couple can be life-giving outside of pet ownership.

usnews.com/news/articles/2013/05/22/americans-spend-61-billion-on-pets-annually The charts in this article support the fact that more people are spending more money on pets every year. Also, more husband/wife households spend more $ per year on pets than husband/wife & children households.

Fertile or non fertile is not the question but rather how life giving a couple chooses to be. Have children. Adopt children. Foster children. THEN buy them a pet if there is extra time and money to support that recreation.

Where does the single person fit into any of that?

 

[Flame4]

An infertile couple won’t be bitter and lonely in old age since the Pope was not directing his comment at them, you say. A single person should be no less bitter and lonely since the Pope was not referring to this group, you claim. But somehow a married couple who, by their own choice, don’t have kids are the ones who are going to be the ones who end up bitter and lonely.

I think their hardness of heart and lack of love will lead to a bitterness and loneliness which is different from merely “being alone”- which is what I think people are interpreting his statements to mean. I don’t think he means people will just be lonely and bitter because they have no children to look after them in their old age… It is the bitterness which comes from rejecting charity and choosing self-pleasure. Sure, there are other ways to end up in this state, but the preference for pets over children is a real problem in our society, and Pope Francis is wise to admonish us for it.

At least, that’s how I see it.

God bless.

 

[FollowChrist34]

I don’t think you are properly acknowledging the natural law aspect of an attitude of *deliberate withholding * fecundity within marriage and the long term effects that has. For example there is a type of loneliness or grief that a person can experience in not having found a mate to share life with. But it is an altogether more soul destroying loneliness and grief to be in a marriage where love is deliberately withheld through someones selfishness. It’s like the marriage itself starved of its natural purpose, begins to suck the life out of its participants. Pope Francis is dead on that marriage has to be entered with a proper attitude for it not to destroy your very soul.

I personally think that people who don’t find their mate in this life are as much a part of the providence of God as anyone else. Your mate is God. Your’re right where he wants you.

 

[Seraphignatius]

I personally think that people who don’t find their mate in this life are as much a part of the providence of God as anyone else. Your mate is God. Your’re right where he wants you.

You are very right. I posted some of what the bible and the church had to say on the subject earlier when someone said celibates have left their vocation unfulfilled if they don’t have children. I hope too many people didn’t say TL;DR and skip over it, because there are some treasures there.

“If you are married do not seek divorce, if you are single I advise you don’t seek marriage” - slight paraphrase of St Paul quoted in full in my above post.

 

[NeedsMercy]

I have heard MANY couples say the dog or cat IS their child. There is no shame whatsoever. This really makes me shudder when I know there are many children waiting for foster care or adoption.

The pet industry has really been building on this for decades. Too many people have bought it…hook, line and sinker.

Why should one be ashamed that he/she has pets and calls them “children”? Why should you “shudder”? If I talk about my furbabies, it’s not affecting your well-being or anyone else’s, and that includes unadopted children. And what exactly have pet parents “bought…hook, line and sinker” from the pet product industry?

 

[FollowChrist34]

I think their hardness of heart and lack of love will lead to a bitterness and loneliness which is different from merely “being alone”- which is what I think people are interpreting his statements to mean. I don’t think he means people will just be lonely and bitter because they have no children to look after them in their old age… It is the bitterness which comes from rejecting charity and choosing self-pleasure. Sure, there are other ways to end up in this state, but the preference for pets over children is a real problem in our society, and Pope Francis is wise to admonish us for it.

At least, that’s how I see it.

God bless.

Yes, bitterness and loneliness afflict us all to one degree or another. I believe it is directly correlated to hardness of heart and inability to love. I think that is the greatest curse I’ve ever seen people suffer from. You can have ten kids and be full of hate, envy, jealously, pride. People get estranged from their kids or have bad relationships. How many kids did the Godfather have? I remember there was always a lot of family around. You can live alone and be full of love, humility, generosity, and peace. AND vice versa. The Pope knows that I’m sure. I bet he’d acknowledge it too. Remember, he’s on a mission to save the family, well, really the human race. Give him some slack. You’ll feel better for it, married or single. (Go pet your pet ; that’ll really put you back on track.)

 

[NeedsMercy]

I’m wondering if the Holy Father saw what I saw recently. A dog dressed up and in a stroller.

What’s the problem with it? If the dog doesn’t mind, and one is not taking money away from his/her human children, why should either you or the Holy Father mind? Can’t we do things because they’re cute, or because they make other people smile?

 

[LongingSoul]

I personally think that people who don’t find their mate in this life are as much a part of the providence of God as anyone else. Your mate is God. Your’re right where he wants you.

Oh yes. I agree with you totally.

 

[johnnyc176]

I have heard MANY couples say the dog or cat IS their child. There is no shame whatsoever. This really makes me shudder when I know there are many children waiting for foster care or adoption.

The pet industry has really been building on this for decades. Too many people have bought it…hook, line and sinker.

Yeah …it’s a little strange. I have heard people refer to their pets as my children.

 

[ProVobis]

Advertisements and media for cat/dog food and paraphanalia boost pet inclusion and even substitution for human relationships.

How dare they make it a business! People have had pets and kept animals since the earliest of civilizations, but now they are being blamed because people have chosen not to have (more) kids? Sure there are no other reasons?

 

[johnnyc176]

What’s the problem with it? If the dog doesn’t mindwhatever floats your boat dear, and one is not taking money away from his/her human children, why should either you or the Holy Father mind? Can’t we do things because they’re cute, or because they make other people smile?

Whatever floats your boat dear. If you want to marry your pet tarantula your gonna do it whether the Church approves or not these days.

 

[Seraphignatius]

Why should one be ashamed that he/she has pets and calls them “children”? Why should you “shudder”? If I talk about my furbabies, it’s not affecting your well-being or anyone else’s, and that includes unadopted children. And what exactly have pet parents “bought…hook, line and sinker” from the pet product industry?

You could not have proven his point better if you payed a billion dollars to a consulting firm to figure out how best to prove his point.

 

[ProVobis]

Yeah …it’s a little strange. I have heard people refer to their pets as my children.

And their own kids as animals?

 

[NeedsMercy]

Whatever floats your boat dear. If you want to marry your pet tarantula your gonna do it whether the Church approves or not these days.

1. You didn’t answer the questions.
2. I’ll forgive the insult.
3. It’s “you’re” not “your”, dear.

 

[NeedsMercy]

You could not have proven his point better if you payed a billion dollars to a consulting firm to figure out how best to prove his point.

1. You didn’t answer the questions.
2. I’ll forgive the insult.
3. It’s “paid” not “payed”, dear.

 

[johnnyc176]

1. You didn’t answer the questions.
2. I’ll forgive the insult.
3. It’s “you’re” not “your”, dear.

I thought I did answer the question by going to the next logical conclusion. If you want to treat an animal as a human then the possibility is the that you can marry them. Why are you insulted deer?