Pope Francis and JD Vance Echo Concerns About Declining Birth Rates

Pope Francis and Ohio Senate candidate JD Vance have both expressed concerns about declining birth rates in modern society. Francis, during a recent tour of Southeast Asia and the Pacific, criticized adults who choose to raise pets instead of children. Vance, in a previous statement, made a "childless cat ladies" comment that was met with backlash.

Pope Francis and Ohio Senate candidate JD Vance have both voiced their concerns about declining birth rates in modern society, sparking discussions on the evolving nature of family structures and the challenges facing the future.

During a recent tour of Southeast Asia and the Pacific, Pope Francis spoke in Indonesia about the population crisis facing much of modern civilization. He criticized adults who choose to raise pets instead of children, saying, "You’re an example for everyone, for all the countries that maybe, and this might sound funny, these families prefer to have a cat or a little dog instead of a child."

Pope Francis and JD Vance Echo Concerns About Declining Birth Rates

The Indonesian president, Joko "Jokowi" Widodo, who presides over one of the most populous Muslim countries, laughed and replied, "it’s true, isn’t it?"

Pope Francis has lamented the low birth rate in Europe in particular, and has backed policies trying to reverse the trend. Earlier this year, he spoke at a conference in Rome, where he referred to Europe as an "old, tired and resigned" continent.

Pope Francis and JD Vance Echo Concerns About Declining Birth Rates

"Homes are filled with objects and emptied of children, becoming very sad places. There is no shortage of little dogs, cats. These are not lacking. There is a lack of children," he said.

Pope Francis has spoken about this issue in Western civilization in previous years as well. In 2023, he spoke of a woman who had asked him to bless her dog, referring to it as "my baby."

Pope Francis and JD Vance Echo Concerns About Declining Birth Rates

"I lost my patience and scolded her, saying many children are hungry and you bring me a dog," he said at the time.

In 2022, the Pope branded couples who adopt pets instead of children as "selfish" as part of a call to resolve the "demographic winter" that the West faces.

"Today… we see a form of selfishness," he said as he addressed a general audience on the topic of parenthood. "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."

Vance, in a previous statement, made a "childless cat ladies" comment that was met with backlash. He later clarified that his comments were taken out of context and that he was referring to a specific group of people who were using their pets as a substitute for having children.

"I was talking about a very specific group of people who are choosing to not have children and are instead using their pets as a substitute for having children," Vance said. "I believe that children are a blessing and that we should be encouraging people to have children, not discouraging them."

The declining birth rate is a complex issue with many contributing factors, including economic pressures, changing societal norms, and the increasing availability of contraception. It is a trend that has been observed in many developed countries, and it is likely to have a significant impact on the future of society.