We know from previous pronouncements that the current Pope Francis is vehemently against people having pets rather than children. He’s just reinforced that belief while visiting Indonesia. And in doing so he has reignited a long-standing quarrel with families who prefer to have a pet dog or cat rather than children. But they do so for practical and financial reasons.
A lot of families don’t like the look of the world and its future and I guess they do not want to bring children into this world. And then there are the financial reasons. Many families are under financial pressure. And of course cats and dogs are members of the family. They are a nice substitute for human children. It’s realistic and practical but Pope Francis is very firmly against this trend which has touched the US as well.
When addressing politicians in Indonesia yesterday during a four-nation tour of south-east Asia, Pope Francis said:
“In your country people have three, four or five children, that’s an example for every country, while some prefer to only have a cat or a little dog. This can’t go well.”
Indonesia’s president laughed at what the Pope said but Pope Francis turned him and said, “It’s true, isn’t it?”
I don’t think it is true ironically! My research indicates that there was a trend to have large families in Indonesia particularly in rural areas where the children can help to run the farm but Indonesia is trending like the West in terms of having smaller families.
More: Iranians are also having smaller families and more pets.
My research further indicates that the average number of children per family in Indonesia has been declining in recent decades due to factors like increased urbanisation, higher education levels and government-led family planning initiatives.
More: Some families have pets as starter children. To see if they can do it! LOL. It is quite a neat way to progress to having children.
Recent information tells us that the total fertility rate in Indonesia is about 2.3 children per woman. There is a broader trend for smaller families particularly in urban areas. This is because of living costs, access to education and employment opportunities. These affect family size. It’s different, as mentioned, in rural areas.
Indonesia ranks about in the middle of human population density across the world. There is a population of 270 million in a landmass area of approximately 1,900,000 km² producing a human population density of around 150 people per square kilometre in Indonesia.
So, Pope Francis is incorrect on Indonesians’ attitude towards family size and he is, I would argue, incorrect about the desire of families in Italy and in Indonesia to have pet substitutes for children if that is the case. It might be the case sometimes.
Throughout his papacy, Pope Francis has called for bigger families. He wants to counter the plunging birthrates in the West. Yes, in northern Europe birthrates are declining although I think you will find that, for example, immigrants to the UK have large families relative to indigenous families i.e. Caucasian white families. That’s because they import their culture into the country and believe that larger families are beneficial to the family in terms of survival.
Last year the pontiff recalled how a woman had asked him to bless her dog. The woman referred to the dog as her baby. He said at the time that he lost his patience at this request and scolded her. He said, “Many children are hungry and you bring me a dog”.
More: there are some superstitions in Indonesia concering the cat. And domestic cats are snake catchers in that country. Cruelty to animals in Indonesia? Click for more.
He has often bemoaned the fertility rate in the EU which stands at 1.5 births per woman. Which, as you can see is quite a bit lower than that in Indonesia. A human population requires a birth rate of 2.1 for it to be sustainable. In other words, populations are declining with a birth rate of 1.5. And this is a problem in terms of economic growth because countries like Italy and the UK and Germany require a good workforce to ensure economic growth. That’s why, by the way, Germany has allowed a lot of immigrants into the country. But this, in turn, creates certain stresses and cultural problems and so it must be a balancing act. I question the economic growth model. It is a false model.
The Pope, this year, called Europe “old, tired and resigned”. He claims that homes are being 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.”
Yes, the cat and dog population across Europe is growing as is the case in America. People are having more pets and the Covid-19 pandemic supercharged that trend.
The Pope wants to turn around Italy’s declining human population. It’s a trend that has been going on for several years. No doubt the Pope is very aware of this problem. However, we must realise that this is a problem from a human perspective. From a wildlife perspective it’s a good problem because it allows more space for wildlife. There is a strong argument that human population growth should be terminated anyway and it should be stabilised and no longer grow across the planet. Some countries are overpopulated with people, forcing out wildlife. India is a case in point; a country full of wonderful wildlife which is being pushed off the planet because of a lack of space.
In Italy the birth rate is one of the lowest in the world. The total fertility rate in Italy is about 1.24 children per woman as of 2023 which is well below the above-mentioned replacement level of 2.1.
There are several reasons for this. Italy has a rapidly ageing population with a high percentage of elderly citizens and a shrinking younger population. This demographic exacerbates population decline. Further, some younger Italians are leaving the country for better economic opportunities abroad. And there are high unemployment rates particularly for young people and economic uncertainty. This discourages many families from having children. And the cost of childcare and living generally is high.
Turning to the US and the presidential elections, you may remember that J.D. Vance, Don Trump’s running mate, has been strongly criticised for referring to democratic politicians as “a bunch of childless cat ladies”. He was rightly criticised for this misogynistic remark. And as an anti-cat remark as well so he upset all the cat owners of America particularly the independent, single women living with a cat. It’s a remark which probably damaged Trump’s campaign.
If people want to adopt a cat or dog rather than have a child that’s their right and it will always be a decision based upon good sense, practicalities and financial budgeting. If politicians and world leaders want people to have more children they’ve got to make the world a better place. A place that looks safer and better organised. A world that is less threatening and uncertain. A world where tyrants like Putin are stopped. A world where climate change is no longer an existential threat to humankind.