Pope Francis remarked that while anyone can have a dog, it is necessary to have children, especially in an era marked by low birth rates, a situation that concerns him.

The Holy Father made these comments during an audience granted on Saturday, January 20, at the Vatican to members of the Association for Subsidiarity and Modernization of Local Entities (ASMEL), held in the Clementine Hall of the Apostolic Palace.

After emphasizing the increasingly important role of various forms of artificial intelligence and warning that they should not be "instruments of death" but rather contribute to the care of people and the common home, Pope Francis addressed the issue of declining birth rates, particularly in Europe.

"Speaking of care, I am worried about the low birth rates. There is a 'culture of depopulation' stemming from the low number of births. It's true, everyone can have a puppy, but it's necessary to have children. Italy, Spain... they need children," stressed the Pontiff.

"Think about it, one of these Mediterranean countries has an average age of 46 years! We must take the issue of birth rates seriously, very seriously, because the future of the homeland, the future itself, is at stake," warned Pope Francis.

"Having children is a duty for survival, to move forward. Think about this: this is not an advertisement for a birth agency, but I want to emphasize the drama of the low birth rates, which must be taken very seriously," the Pope reiterated. The Holy Father has expressed his deep concern about this issue on more than one occasion.

In November 2023, speaking to a group of Italian pediatricians, Pope Francis warned that "Italy is an aging country: let's hope it can reverse the trend, creating favorable conditions for young people to regain confidence and the courage and joy of becoming parents."

"Maybe I shouldn't say this, but I will: today, people prefer to have a puppy rather than a child. Your task is very limited, but the work of veterinarians is increasing! And this is not a good sign," the Holy Father said then, during an audience in the Vatican.

In May 2023, Pope Francis encouraged Italians to end the "demographic winter" and increase the birth rate in Europe.

On that occasion, the Holy Father recalled meeting a woman "about fifty years old or so; I greeted her, and she opened a bag and said to me, 'Bless him, my baby': a puppy! There I lost patience and scolded the lady: 'Lady, so many children are hungry, and you with the puppy! Brothers and sisters, these are scenes of the present, but if things continue like this, this will be the custom of the future, let's be careful."

Two years earlier, in May 2021, Pope Francis emphasized that "children are the hope that revives a people."

"For the future to be good, we must take care of families, especially young ones, besieged by worries that risk paralyzing their life plans," he highlighted on that occasion.

This article was originally published on ACI Prensa.