To think Pope Francis is talking out of his arse here?

[CounsellorTroi]

Says couples who prefer pets to children are selfish. It’s a bit rich from someone who effectively chose not to have children when he became a priest.

www.theguardian.com/world/2022/jan/05/pope-couples-choose-pets-children-selfish

When we have popes who can carry and give birth to a child, then I might consider their opinion. Until then, popes can STFU about what women should be doing with their bodies.

One of my cats is a Catholic. She's not going to be happy when she hears about this.

Lapsed catholic here. The problem with many catholic clergy is that they personally have no experience of raising children. Or of looking after elderly parents. It was work done by obliging women. So they haven’t a clue, nor a clue, of what it’s like. It astonishes them that not all ‘wives’ want to do this labour. Because their mothers did and it was good enough for them.

This is why talk of catholic priests marrying used to worry me. They thought it would go like this. Their meagre income would be boosted by having a (part-time at least) working wife, who would also take on parish admin, plus household chores and provide lots of children they would care for themselves without demanding the priest help. And provide sex.

Not all, of course. There are honourable exceptions. But many found modern partnerships hard to comprehend.

I was surprised he said it, I thought he was considered a progressive modernising Pope.

I also find it quite ironic that Saint Francis is the patron saint of animals and Pope Francis doesn't seem that keen on them.

He also doesn’t see the irony of how the Catholic Church are against IVF and other fertility treatments. 8 million babies have been born via IVF. Surely papa Francis should be in favour of that!

Lapsed catholic here. The problem with many catholic clergy is that they personally have no experience of raising children. Or of looking after elderly parents. It was work done by obliging women. So they haven’t a clue, nor a clue, of what it’s like. It astonishes them that not all ‘wives’ want to do this labour. Because their mothers did and it was good enough for them.

This. Before my (Catholic) DMIL’s funeral DH and I were chatting to her priest. He asked about my own mother and I told him she had dementia. He asked if she still knew me and when I said yes he said “oh so she’s living with you is she?” When I said she was in a care home I could see his disapproval. The fact my mum knew who I was didn’t make her any easier to care for. We did it as long as we could but she had no idea where she was most of the time and didn’t recognise her marital home of 50 years,

@Liathroid

He also doesn’t see the irony of how the Catholic Church are against IVF and other fertility treatments. 8 million babies have been born via IVF. Surely papa Francis should be in favour of that!

Well, circumventing God’s will innit. If you can’t have your own children God obviously intends you to adopt.

Religious leader talks crap. Plus ça change…

☹️ @CounsellorTroi

That would annoy me.

I agree with him.

He has previously made a comment about women/motherhood. Where does that leave those who can’t have children/gay people who can’t adopt or are single?

As a side note there's been a series on radio 4 this week with Anal Rajan that's been looking at population.

Amal Rajan ...

Unsurprising that the guy in charge of Catholicism equates pets to babies.

Although actually maybe there would be more outcry at The Church putting puppies in sewers than there is about them putting babies in sewers.

Ridiculous just ridiculous, I’ve seen some shit in my life but my god this up there with “women are basically ovaries” Marian Symm a doctor of the 1840s period onwards. Operated for child birth fistula wrongly on slaves but without that operation thousands more would be incontinent. They make me laugh these people who come with this bullshit

Apparently his arse is perfect though, and so is anything that emanates from it.

@Forestdweller11 I’ve been listening to that - so interesting!

I’m not about to take humanity lessons from an organisation who helped protect and hide their officials who raped and abused children.

@CounsellorTroi No priest, or any other person who has not looked after a parent with dementia, is in a position to judge you for putting your mother into a care home. People have no idea how difficult it is, until they've been in the situation themselves. Pay no heed to such ignorant attitudes.

... and killed and enslaved them.

Despicable that he gets airtime saying anything about children other than "I am very sorry".

They weren't so fond of babies when unmarried women had them.

@DynamiteFilledRadish

Are they running out of altar boys?

@DynamiteFilledRadish 👏👏I’m 🤣🤣 crying with laughter at this ..

@JaneJeffer

They weren't so fond of babies when unmarried women had them.

@JaneJeffer exactly … makes you livid doesn’t it 😡

I used to have a strong Catholic faith.
Brainwashed really.
But the Pope really needs to understand the female modern perspective. It's not going to happen.

Imagine calling other people selfish when you're top of the ladder for a religion that showcases unbelievable wealth at the Vatican while millions of your followers live in poverty. It's laughable. Almost.

Unreal. And yet completely unsurprising.

What would Jesus do? Hoard unimaginable wealth while his followers suffer trauma / starvation / loss due to lack of medical supplies and access in poverty stricken countries etc etc? As an atheist (who grew up in a Catholic family and schools) I never believed as I couldn't summon the cognitive dissonance required to understand that.