Pope Francis accuses childless pet owners of ‘selfishness’

The Catholic leader blames them for robbing the world of ‘the richness of fatherhood and motherhood’

Speaking at the Vatican, Pope Francis has criticized individuals who let pets “take the place of children” for leaving civilization “without humanity,” saying they deprive society of “the richness of fatherhood and motherhood.”

The Pope’s address to a general audience on Wednesday risked sparking the anger of childless pet owners by once again taking aim at their decision to avoid parenthood.

The condemnation from the pontiff came despite him seemingly being a fan of animals, having been photographed stroking dogs, a tiger, and a baby panther. During the 2014 Epiphany, the Pope even had a baby lamb draped over his shoulders.

Regardless, the Pope argued that people who do not want to have a child, choosing instead to have pets, exhibit a “form of selfishness.”

“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,” the pontiff said.

"Civilization grows old without humanity because we lose the richness of fatherhood and motherhood, and it is the country that suffers."

The Pope’s predecessor, Benedict XVI, was known to be a fan of cats, owning a black-and-white feline called Chico. Francis is not thought to have any pets at his Vatican apartment.

Addressing couples who biologically are unable to have their own children, the pontiff argued that individuals should “not be afraid” to embark on parenthood by adopting.

“Having a child is always a risk, but there is more risk in not having a child, in denying paternity,” Pope Francis said, reiterating concerns he raised in 2014 that not having kids is a “phenomenon of cultural degradation.”

https://www.rt.com/news/545233-pope-childless-pet-owners-selfishness/

>>15312993

>>15313005

yes and I was a little surprised to see this article too

>>15313092

>double meanings exist

here's another one

Soldier killed by deer at presidential palace

A sergeant in the Paraguayan presidential guard died after being attacked by a gifted non-indigenous deer

A Paraguayan soldier has died after he was run through and gored by an axis deer from India in the gardens of the country's presidential palace. He was declared dead in a military hospital.

Speaking on Tuesday, military spokesman Colonel Victor Urdapilleta said that Sergeant Victor Isasi, 42, died as a result of piercing injuries, having been run down by a deer in the early hours of Tuesday morning.

The non-native deer, which was gifted to the presidential residence, gored the soldier with its antlers. CCTV captured the moment when Isasi, who was on patrol at the time, approached the deer before it attacked. Isasi later died in a military hospital.

“On the security camera you can see [the sergeant] enter the sector where these animals are and he makes a movement [lifts a hand] that provokes the deer's reaction,” Urdapilleta told the media.

The director of wildlife at the Ministry of the Environment, Frederick Bauer, told local media that the animal was an axis deer from India. Animals in the 10-hectare (24-acre) enclosure of the presidential palace are normally kept separate from other creatures and are not meant to come into contact with people.

Urdapilleta admitted that “it is not appropriate to have exotic animals in captivity but there is no regulation.” He added that the next of kin would be compensated.

https://www.rt.com/news/545228-paraguayan-guard-dead-deer/