(RNS) When Pope Francis cautioned people not to substitute pets and vacation homes for children, was he being a cold scold or a wise old man with the experience of years?
Francis celebrated Mass with 15 married couples Monday (June 2), and during the Mass he warned the couples that substituting dogs and cats for children will lead to “bitterness of loneliness” in old age.
“It might be better — more comfortable — to have a dog, two cats, and the love goes to the two cats and the dog. Is this true or not? Have you seen it?
“Then, in the end this marriage comes to old age in solitude, with the bitterness of loneliness,” he said.
Here’s what the Twitterverse had to say about it:
Some people agreed:
https://twitter.com/jrw_4/status/473890068571369472
Pope Francis Urges Couples to Raise Kids, Not Cats and Dogs: I totally agree http://t.co/uToPFw9zzZ
— ᴀʟʙᴇʀᴛᴏ ᴘᴇʀʙᴇʟʟɪɴɪ (@engperbellini) June 3, 2014
I knew I liked this pope… RT @ETenety: Pope Francis to young couples: Your dog is not your kid. http://t.co/B0CD8430UM
— Nat Katz (@NathanielKatz) June 3, 2014
I love cats.But I see @Pontifex 's point.I too find people calling themselves 'parents' of their pets to be bloody ridiculous #PreviousTweet
— Nisansa de Silva (@NisansaDdS) June 3, 2014
I agree with Pope Francis – happiness is a warm FAMILY
— Carlos del Amo (@cdelamo) June 3, 2014
Go Pope Francis. “@HuffingtonPost: Pope Francis tells married couples not to substitute dogs and cats for children http://t.co/4v83Zsz9Fq”
— Nina Bax (@ninabax666) June 3, 2014
Human interaction is better for you – Pope Francis Urges Couples to Raise Kids, Not Cats and Dogs http://t.co/BKNTxwX5RL via @TIMEWorld
— jebusite1 (@jebusite1) June 3, 2014
https://twitter.com/jelyca618/status/473843682618380288
Amen! Pope Francis tells couples not to substitute dogs and cats for children http://t.co/aDn0iHfz4h via @RNS
— Albert Lusby (@alcheese) June 3, 2014
I actually agree with him, for once//DRUDGE_REPORT:Pope tells couples not to substitute dogs and cats for children… http://t.co/w5y8K4bUyP — Celeste Granillo (@Celestial32) June 3, 2014
“@TIME: Pope Francis said that staying childless will ultimately bring married couples “the bitterness of loneliness” // I agree
— Romina Vargas (@LadyRomilicious) June 2, 2014
While some people are angry and disagree with the pope:
Statements like this show @pontifex & the church still push outdated views. "Pope Francis: Raise Children, Not Pets" http://t.co/EReysltsoh
— Polar Vortex (@challssss) June 3, 2014
https://twitter.com/jeaniebellini/status/473884620727934977
Children are the key to a happy marriage, says Pope Francis, having never fished car keys out of the toilet.
— (Masked) Running (in Place) Joke 📻 (@RunningJoke) June 3, 2014
@Pontifex thank you for making so many people who have pets angry.
— Alan Rupa (@AlanRupa) June 3, 2014
https://twitter.com/TMSowa/status/473861009770172416
https://twitter.com/NorthernMNer/status/473860248873095168
Pope Francis has taken a bold stance against cat ladies http://t.co/YfWte07WBg — Esther Breger (@estherbreger) June 3, 2014
“@TIME: The Pope says you should raise kids, not cats http://t.co/DoZh28CL0F” That’s rich coming from a childless person …
— R2-D2 (@TheDiceMan_) June 3, 2014
The pope, who spends whole life childless, tells childless adults they will grow up to be lonely and bitter. http://t.co/7izQxl6Suh — Cape Breton Atheists (@cbatheists) June 3, 2014
Pope Francis tells childless not to use pets as substitutes. Pope Benny has two cats.
— Paul Moloney (@oceanclub) June 2, 2014
“@HuffingtonPost: Pope Francis tells married couples not to substitute dogs for children”…but dogs don’t need a college fund. — Pamela Rae Schuller (@ItsPammerTime) June 3, 2014
Childless old man shouts at childless couples: http://t.co/MdZfMLEUmf #religion
— Sam Johnston (@samj) June 3, 2014