Pope: 'a culture of wellbeing' leads some couples to prefer pets to children

Casa Santa Marta

Around 15 married couples celebrating their 25th, 50th and 60th anniversaries attended morning Mass with Pope Francis at Casa Santa Marta yesterday, Vatican Radio reported. During his homily the Holy Father said fidelity, perseverance and fruitfulness were the three characteristics of God's love for his church and should be the same three pillars of a Christian marriage.

Just as the church is fruitful by generating new children in Christ through baptism, marriage should be open to new life, the Pope said.

"In a marriage, this fruitfulness can sometimes be put to the test, when children don't come or when they are ill," he said. Couples who have to cope with infertility or loss can still look to Jesus and "draw the strength of fruitfulness that Jesus has with his church."

Pope Francis went on to say: "there are things that Jesus doesn't like," such as married couples "who don't want children, who want to be without fruitfulness." This "culture of comfort", he said, "has convinced us that 'it's better to not have children! That way you can see the world, go on vacation, have a fancy home in the country and be carefree."

People think it is better or easier "to have a puppy, two cats, and the love goes to the two cats and the puppy. Isn't this true or not? Have you seen this?" he asked the people in the congregation. "And in the end, this marriage will end in old age in solitude, with the bitterness of bad solitude."

The Pope said Jesus is always faithful to his church - "his bride: beautiful, holy, sinner, but he loves her just the same." Jesus is always faithful, even to those who sin and deny him; and "this fidelity is like a light" that shines on marriage, showing what "the faithfulness of love" looks like, he said. In addition to always being faithful, love also must be "untiring in its perseverance," he said.

Just as Jesus forgives his church, spouses must ask each other for forgiveness so that "matrimonial love can go on," he said. "Perseverance in love" must endure, in good times and bad, "when there are problems, problems with the kids, money problems, problems here and there."

"Love perseveres," he said. "It keeps going, always seeking to resolve things in order to save the family."

Source: Vatican Radio