The pontiff asks nations to help women juggle motherhood and work, create job security for young people and help couples buy homes.
Friday marked the fourth year that the pope has attended the meeting, which gathers politicians, journalists, intellectuals and entrepreneurs to address the problems and propose possible solutions for declining birthrates. “I was always amazed by how these views, which are outdated and superseded, refer to human beings as if they were problems. But human life is not a problem, it’s a gift,” Francis said. “No, the problem with our world is not children being born. It’s selfishness, consumerism, individualism, which render people complacent, alone and unhappy.”
“The Old Continent is becoming more and more an aging, tired and resigned continent,” Francis said, “so taken with exorcizing loneliness and distress that it no longer knows how to enjoy the true beauty of life.”