Pope Francis has had a lot to say lately…
Whether that be stating that sins of the flesh are not the worst among the sins or talking about a better religious world for women.
Well, now, he’s got another topic he’s ever so kindly shared with the world, and it comes as he calls people who adopt pets instead of children ‘selfish’.
Keep on scrolling to find out why…
Now, the Pope is a very important figure.
The earliest record of a Pope figure dates back to the 11th Century.
The Pope is not only the leader of the Roman Catholic Church, but he’s also the Bishop of Rome.
So being elected as the Pope is a pretty big deal.
Pope Francis has been the head of the Catholic Church, and the Vatican City State since 2013.
And he is the first-ever Jesuit Pope – a member of the Society of Jesus.
His love for Catholicism didn’t start there, though.
He began working as a Catholic Priest in 1969, when he became the archbishop of Buenos Aires in 1998. Then he was made a cardinal in 2001 by Pope John Paul II, but it wasn’t until 2013 that he was elected as the Pope.
He’s a huge figurehead for many people around the world.
Throughout his public life, Pope Francis has been celebrated for his humility, emphasis on God’s mercy, international visibility as pope, concern for the poor, and commitment to interfaith dialogue.
And he lights up the hearts of his followers, as well.
Regularly interacting with the public and members of the church, with many of his followers being able to talk to him and receive words of wisdom and advice.
And there’s a reason behind their disdain for the Pope.
Because in a step towards gender equality for women in the Roman Catholic Church, Pope Francis changed its law to allow them to serve as readers at liturgies, altar servers, and distributors of communion.
But it seemed as though their was an angel looking out for the women of the Church.
With the change in the Code of Canon Law, conservative bishops will not be able to block women in their diocese from those roles.
In an accompanying letter, Francis said he wanted to bring “stability, public recognition” to women already serving in the roles.
“This shift brings the institutional Church in alignment with the pastoral realities around the world,” said Kate McElwee, executive director of the Women’s Ordination Conference.
But people still have a few issues because women still aren’t being given the equality they are deserving of.
It seems people’s main issue is that women are still blocked from other roles within the church, while this new law formalizes what is already going on in a lot of countries.
The Pope also made an unexpected series of statements that yet again got those on social media talking.
And people thought coming from him, his statements were a little rich.
The Catholic Church has been met with child s*xual abuse scandals in the past few decades.
And that’s why Pope Francis’s latest announcement has really riled people up.
Because, according to BBC, an inquiry found that 216,000 children in France had been abused by the clergy since the 1950s.
Which we’re pretty sure is a lot higher than sins Pope Francis deems as the ‘most sinful.’
“Sins of the flesh are not the most serious,” Pope Francis said to reporters when he was on the way back from Greece to Italy, as per Independent.
In fact, according to Pope Francis “the most serious” sins are those of pride and hatred.
And so, some people disagree with him, demanding that sex outside of marriage is most certainly a high-up sin.
Others took to social media to name a couple of sins they think are more serious than pride, hatred, and sex outside of marriage. And guess what? They are sins the Church has reportedly committed for a very long time.
And now, Pope Francis has yet again made a statement, deeming certain choices people make as ‘selfish’.
And it’s really got people riled up.
Talking to people at the Vatican, the Pope decided it was time to criticize the lives of people across the world…
This time, he’s said that people who don’t have children are “robbing humanity.”
And apparently, those who have pets instead of children are “selfish.”
“We see that people do not want to have children, or just one and no more. And many, many couples do not have children because they do not want to, or they have just one – but they have two dogs, two cats… Yes, dogs and cats take the place of children,” he began, as per LADbible.
“Yes, it’s funny, I understand, but it is the reality. And this denial of fatherhood or motherhood diminishes us, it takes away our humanity.
“And in this way, civilization becomes aged and without humanity, because it loses the richness of fatherhood and motherhood. And our homeland suffers, as it does not have children,” he continued.
Then he took it upon himself to tell those who can’t have children that they should think about adopting instead.
“Having a child is always a risk, either naturally or by adoption. But it is riskier not to have them. It is riskier to deny fatherhood, or to deny motherhood, be it real or spiritual,” he expressed.