Pope Francis remarks outrage animal lovers

 ROME - On Saturday morning, from his window in St. Peter’s, Pope Francis said, “People in need deserve more love from us than the animals do.” The head of the Roman Catholic Church has previously expressed his opinion about domestic animals, specifically, in the life of married couples.

 It was 2014 when Francis suggested married couples should not substitute domestic animals, such as dogs and cats, for a child. The pontiff counseled childless couples to be fruitful and multiply, and not spend time raising pets when they could be raising children. “...in the end this marriage comes to old age in solitude, with the bitterness of loneliness [if couples raise dogs and cats]. It is not fruitful, it does not do what Jesus does with his Church: He makes His church fruitful.”

 Although the pontiff also stated that animals go to heaven this preceding weekend saw him take a concrete stand once more about cats and dogs. “How often do we see people greatly attached to cats, to dogs [but fail to] help their neighbour, their neighbour who is in need... This will not do.”

 The pope explained that “piety” should not be confused with the compassion which, “we feel for the animals who live with us.” Yet what the Pope seems to forget is the huge number of animals abandoned annual, abused, killed, just like the so many women, men, and children who are homeless and mistreated every day.

 As following the words of Saint Francis of Assisi, the National President of Ente Nazionale Protezione Animali (National League for Animal Protection - ENPA), Carla Rocchi, replied to the pontiff’s statement, “The capacity to love makes no distinctions. Who loves animals loves his own species, whom loves nobody is unable to love animals, nor their neighbour, nor any other being.”

 The statement by Pope Francis places the risk of making a clear distinction between humans and animal further rendering hard the task to teach equal respect and understanding that animals - even the domestic ones - deserve respect, this not to intend priority, rather equality. The right to life is not a privilege for anyone. Respect and love is equally given to everyone and the love for a category does not imply the absence to another.

 People take pride in human’s evolution and intelligence so one hope is that this same intelligence is applied to the understanding that the Pope’s statement could imply a neglect of love for dogs in favour of “your neighbour” instead of promoting a sense of community and unity. We should be respectful of any living being, not of selecting those we love, otherwise even amongst us we will be continuing this disrespect, racism, discrimination, and hatred that has touched so much of the history of humanity. Pope Francis should probably reconsider his words. 

 ch-ac