Another papal trip, another priceless sound bite. The always quotable Pope Francis provided his usual in-flight entertainment during the Q&A on his return trip from Manila to Rome this week, including this line on responsible parenthood: “Some believe that–excuse the expression–to be good Catholics we must be like rabbits.”
That was a very Francis-like way of saying that to be a model Catholic, a person doesn’t necessarily need to have 12 children. And in fact, it can even be irresponsible to have such a large family. Francis noted that according to experts, the ideal number of children per family is three.
If you stopped reading there, you might think the pope is signaling a landmark change on church teaching about contraception, but you’d be wrong. Earlier in his trip, Francis specifically condemned artificial contraception and praised Paul VI for articulating the church’s position on birth control in the 1968 encyclical Humanae Vitae. The Associated Press went so far as to say that Francis’ comments on contraception during his trip to the Philippines “signal that he is increasingly showing his more conservative bent.”
But Francis continues to defy the simplistic “liberal/conservative” divide. He is faithful to the teachings of the church—both the “liberal” and the “conservative” ones—and he is also understanding of the fact that not every person can live up to the ideal. Francis is holding up the value of parenthood while at the same time shooting down the notion that marriage in the eyes of the church is all about making babies.
The pope also shared a story about meeting a woman who was pregnant with her eighth child after having seven Cesarean sections. Though some in the church might hold up such an example as selflessness, Francis called it “irresponsibility,” adding that “God gives you methods to be responsible.”
Francis urged every person, in conversation with their pastor, to find a way to achieve responsible parenthood. One would assume the obvious answer is natural family planning, the church’s only approved method of controlling family size. But that option isn’t for everyone, and it won’t always result in keeping a family to the ideal size of three children. (Francis himself said, “I know of many, many legitimate ways to achieve this,” though he didn’t elaborate.)
The pope’s comments are sure to disappoint some who had hoped he would usher in a change in the church’s stance against birth control. But perhaps more importantly, his remarks indicate an understanding of the challenges of family life. Hopefully Francis—and other church leaders—will continue to talk to real people about the difficulties they face as parents and the concerns that keep some couples from starting or growing a family. Rather than condemning couples who have opted for artificial birth control, a better solution is to start a conversation about why they've chosen that option.
Most couples today can’t afford to be like rabbits. And it is a good thing the pope was willing to say it.
(Update: Rabbit breeders, however, aren't quite as appreciative of the pope's comments.)
Photo by Paul Haring/Catholic News Service, courtesy of Religion News Service
