ROME
Crux
By John L. Allen Jr.
Associate editor February 14, 2015
ROME — On Thursday last week I was on CNN discussing two recent statements by Pope Francis: one that Catholics don’t have to “breed like rabbits,” and the other that couples who choose not to have children are part of a “greedy generation.”
The host’s question was both simple and pointed: “Is it just me, or is the pope talking out of both sides of his mouth?”
In fairness, looking at the full context of those two lines dissolves most of the apparent contradiction. The pope’s message seems to be that large families are great, but no one is obligated to have one, and that the trick is to be open to whatever God has in store.
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