Pope Francis on Friday criticized couples who have pets instead of babies, joining the Italian conservative prime minister, Giorgia Meloni, in denouncing the country’s plummeting birth rate as a “national emergency.”
Speaking at an annual gathering of pro-family organizations at the Auditorium della Conciliazione in Rome, Francis warned that Italy’s record-low birthrate — just 393,000 newborns in 2022 — “reveals great concern for tomorrow.”
“I believe that the theme of natality is central for everyone, especially for the future of Italy and of Europe,” he said, noting that a country’s birthrate is “the primary indicator for measuring the hope of a people.”
“If few are born, it means there is little hope,” the 86-year-old pontiff said, adding that a low birthrate will not only have consequences “from an economic and social point of view” but will also undermine “confidence in the future.”
Francis — who apologized for “not standing to speak” because he can’t “tolerate the pain when [he’s on his] feet” — started his speech by telling the crown about a recent incident that helped him illustrate his point.
Two weeks ago, when greeting people at Saint Peter’s Square, Francis approached a woman who appeared to be around 50 years old.
“I greeted the woman, and she opened a bag and said, ‘Will you bless him, my baby?’” Her baby was a dog, Francis told the crowd.
“I did not have any patience there and I yelled at the woman, “Madam, many children are hungry, and you are here with a dog!” Francis said, according to a transcript of the speech shared by Holy See.
Italy’s record-low birthrate combined with an elevated number of deaths last year — around 714,000 — led the country’s population to drop by 3% in 2022, according to the Italian National Institute of Statistics. “The trend in population decline continues,” officials said last month.
Meloni, Italy’s first female prime minister, is heading a campaign to encourage more births — at least 500,000 more per year by 2033. The far-right politician, who was elected last year on a pro-family campaign, appeared onstage next to Francis and echoed his sentiments.
“Fixing the problem is an absolute priority,” she told the audience. “We want Italy to go back to having a bright future.”