Pope Francis: the choice to not have children is selfish



Life rejuvenates and acquires energy when it multiplies,

Pope tells audience in St Peter’s Square

Pope Francis gives a thumbs up to pilgrims in Rome. Photograph: Massimo Valicchia/Demotix/Corbis

Stephanie Kirchgaessner in Grosseto
Thursday 12 February 2015 07.44 AEST

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Pope Francis has chided couples who choose not to have children , saying the decision was a “selfish” act.

The statement, which he made in his general audience in St Peter’s Square, will be seen as especially controversial in Italy, which has recorded a steady drop in its birth rate for decades.

“A society with a greedy generation, that doesn’t want to surround itself with children, that considers them above all worrisome, a weight, a risk, is a depressed society,” the pope said.

“The choice to not have children is selfish. Life rejuvenates and acquires energy when it multiplies: It is enriched, not impoverished.”

The address was focused primarily on the joy of children and their role in society. The pope recalled a childhood memory, when his mother was asked which of her five children was her favourite.

“She would say ‘I have five children like I have five fingers. If they beat one of my fingers all five hurt. All of my children are mine, but each one is different’,” he said.

“You love your child because he is a child, not because he is beautiful, healthy, and good; not because he thinks like me, or embodies my desires. A child is a child: a life created by us but destined for him.”

He said there was a strong correlation between a society’s level of hope and its “inter-generational harmony”.

The remarks echoed earlier comments by the pope on the topic of childlessness. Last year, he warned against the lure of a “culture of wellbeing” that can come when a couple does not have children and has the money and freedom to take nice holidays and buy a second home in the countryside.

“It might be better, more comfortable, to have a dog, two cats, and the love goes to the two cats and the dog,” he said. “Is this true or is this not? Have you seen it? Then, in the end, this marriage comes to old age in solitude, with the bitterness of loneliness.”

“The joy of children makes their parents hearts throb and reopens the future,” he said. “Children are not a problem of reproductive biology, or one of many ways to realize oneself in life. Let alone their parent’s possession. Children are a gift. Do you understand? Children are a gift,” he added.

Last week, the pontiff said that hitting a child was an acceptable form of discipline, although it was important to maintain their “dignity” in the process.

The Vatican later clarified the remark, saying the pope did not endorse violence or cruelty against a child.

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Taken from: http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/feb/11/pope-francis-the-choice-to-not-have-children-is-selfish

Pope Francis to install showers for Homeless

Next Monday, work will begin to renovate Vatican restrooms for pilgrims, but Pope Francis has also given instructions for showers to be installed where Rome’s homeless can wash.

Bishop Konrad Krajewski, or “Don Conrado” as he is familiarly known, is the Pope’s “almoner,” the person in charge of distributing alms on the Pope’s behalf. He recounts that it was a Sardinian homeless man named Franco who brought home the need for washing facilities.

 

Franco explained to the bishop that the greatest need for Rome’s homeless is a place to wash. “Nobody dies of hunger,” he said, “you can always find a sandwich to get by. But there are no places to go to the bathroom and wash.” This was a revelation for Don Conrado, who had always assumed that food was the number one concern.

 

So on November 17, three showers dedicated to the local homeless will be added to the restrooms for pilgrims under the colonnade of St. Peter’s Basilica. They can wash and change their bedding under the windows of the Apostolic Palace. The good idea is spreading, and at Don Conrado’s instigation a dozen parishes in the Roman neighborhoods most frequented by homeless people are also adding showers, paid for by the Pope.

 

Pope Francis chose Don Corrado for this exact task: to be the Pope’s feet on the ground in personally helping the local poor.

 

To be sure, there are other initiatives as well. The Sant’Egidio Community, for instance, has published an updated handbook titled “Where to eat, sleep, wash.” But the Pope’s man makes his presence felt.

 

Don Conrado is accustomed to immediate action for the poor rather than organizing major projects or fundraisers that can take months. “In the Gospel,” he says, “Jesus always uses the word ‘today,’ and it is ‘today’ when we have to respond to people’s needs.”

 

“It isn’t easy,” the bishop says, “because it is simpler to make sandwiches than take care of a shower service. We need volunteers, towels, linens.”

 

Don Conrado says that it is appropriate to be installing the showers beneath Rome’s most iconic church, under the imposing colonnade of Bernini. “The church exists,” he says, “because the Body of Christ is there. In the poor we serve the suffering body of Jesus. In all of Rome’s history, the poor have gathered around this basilica.”

 

For the Vatican showers there will be no sign outside. The service is designed to assist those who already live in the area, who will be familiar with the set-up. According to the bishop, being able to wash and keep clean makes the homeless less vulnerable to diseases that are transmitted with dirt.

 

Don Conrado is also trying to involve students of a local school for hairdressers, to provide an occasional haircut to go with the showers.

 

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Taken from: http://www.breitbart.com/Big-Peace/2014/11/13/Pope-Francis-to-Install-Showers-for-Homeless