Pope Francis Says It Is Fine for Parents to Smack Their Children If They Are Misbehaving

By Sara Malm
Daily Mail
February 5, 2015

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2941307/The-Pope-says-fine-parents-smack-children-misbehaving.html

Pope Francis has said it is fine for parents to smack their children as punishment for misbehaving.

The Pope said parents should punish their children, 'do the right thing, and then move on,' as he acted out the movement of smacking a child on the bottom.

The pontiff made the remarks in front of a large crowd during his weekly general audience in St Peter's Square on Wednesday.

Naughty or nice: Pope Francis kisses a baby as he leaves at the end of his weekly general audience, where he told the crowd that it is fine for parents to smack their children as punishment for misbehaving

Addressing the crowd, Pope Francis recalled a conversation he had had with a father who had admitted to him that he would sometimes hit his children as punishment.

'One time, I heard a father say, "At times I have to hit my children a bit, but never in the face so as not to humiliate them".,' the Pope said according to the Telegraph.

'That's great. He had a sense of dignity. He should punish, do the right thing, and then move on.'

Pope Francis's remarks on corporal punishment for misbehaving children came as the leaders of the Catholic clergy received a letter from him, reminding them to cooperate with the new sex abuse inquiry – even if it means uncovering more scandals.

'Families need to know that the Church is making every effort to protect their children,' he said.

Papa Francesco: Pope Francis is presented with a football jersey reading his name from FC Barcelona soccer club president Josep Maria Bartomeu on Thursday

Nice gift: Pope Francis shakes hands with FC Barcelona soccer club president as he leads a meeting for the 4th World Congress of Educational Scholas Occurrentes in the Synod hall at the Vatican

Popular guy: Hundreds gather in St Peter's Square every week for Pope Francis' general audience

The Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors has been given a brief to drive reform on an issue that has severely damaged the Church's authority and reputation around the world.

On Tuesday, the Pope had to apologise for offending large Catholic families by saying that there was no need to breed 'like rabbits'.

The Pope caused dismay among larger families last month when he cautioned 'responsible parenthood' advising that three children was 'about right'.

Speaking during a press conference on a flight back from the Philippines, he said that 'Some think that in order to be good Catholics we have to be like rabbits. No. Responsible parenthood.'

Vatican Archbishop Giovanni Becciu apologised on Pope Francis' behalf by saying 'the Pope is truly sorry' that his remarks about large families 'caused such disorientation'.

Archbishop Becciu told the Italian bishop's newspaper Avvenire that the pope 'absolutely did not want to disregard the beauty and the value of large families.'