VATICAN CITY
Yahoo! Lifestyle
By Alison Coldridge
He was hailed a modern Pope after actively encouraging women to breastfeed during his church services, but Pope Francis has revealed that his views on disciplining children remains dated.
The head of the Catholic Church used one of his recent services to reassure parents that smacking their children is OK when they’ve been naughty.
In one of his weekly general audience, this time dedicated to the role of fathers in the family, the Pope regaled a story of a dad smacking his child – and approved of the approach the father in took.
“One time, I heard a father in a meeting with married couples say ‘I sometimes have to smack my children a bit, but never in the face so as to not humiliate them.’ How beautiful!’ said Pope Francis. …
Peter Saunders, the founder of the National Association for People Abused in Childhood, told The Telegraph, “It is disappointing that anyone with that sort of influence would make such a comment.” Saunders added that Pope Francis’ comments were “very misguided.”
But Vatican officials have been quick to stress that the Pope was advising on “helping someone to grow and mature.”
Note: This is an Abuse Tracker excerpt. Click the title to view the full text of the original article. If the original article is no longer available, see our News Archive.