Describing Europe as ‘tired,’ Pope laments low birth rate
June 16, 2014
During a June 15 encounter with members of the Community of Sant’Egidio and the poor assisted by them, Pope Francis emphasized the importance of prayer in the life of the Christian community and of children and the elderly in the life of society.
“Prayer is the first work of your community, and consists in listening to the Word of God-- this bread, the bread that gives us strength, that keeps us going-- but also in turning our eyes to him,” the Pope said. “The one who looks to the Lord, sees others. You also have learned to see others, in particular the most poor.”
Decrying the “money idol” and the “culture of waste,” Pope Francis told those who had gathered at the Basilica of Santa Maria in Trastevere that the health of a society is measured by its attitude toward the elderly and children.
Europe is “tired,” he added, as manifested by the “discarding” of the elderly and children—“no children,” as shown by the birth rate “in Europe: Italy, Spain France …” Behind the discarding of the elderly are attitudes that constitute a “hidden euthanasia, a form of euthanasia.”
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Further information:
- Incontro con i poveri assistiti dalla Comunità di Sant'Egidio a Santa Maria in Trastevere (Holy See Press Office)
- Pope decries "throwaway culture", calls for generational solidarity (Vatican Radio)
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