Skip to content

Migration helps offset serious problem of low birth rate in rich countries, Pope Francis says

Pope Francis emphasizes migration as a solution to low birth rates, urging support for decent work and addressing crises in war-torn countries.

During a May 8 audience at the Vatican, Pope Francis said that migration helps fight the crisis caused by low birth rates, especially in “rich countries.”

Addressing participants at an event titled “Care Is Work, Work Is Care,” promoted by the Dicastery for the Service of Integral Human Development, the Holy Father reflected on decent work and social justice.

Pope Francis called low birth rates “a very serious problem” and lamented, as he has on previous occasions, that despite the low birth rate “rich countries aren’t having children.”

“Everyone has a dog, a cat, everyone, but they don’t have children,” he lamented, noting that “the migration comes to help the crisis caused by low birth rates.”

The pontiff said that “many people emigrate in search of work, while others are forced to do so to flee their countries of origin, often torn by violence and poverty.”

According to Pope Francis, “these people, also due to prejudices and inaccurate or ideological information, are often seen as a problem and a financial burden on a nation, when in reality, by working, they contribute to the economic and social development of the host country and the country from which they come.”

Pope Francis stressed the need to offer decent work and food security while highlighting the crises suffered by war-torn countries, such as Gaza and Sudan, which have “the largest number of people facing famine.”

This story was first published by ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.

This article was originally published on Catholic News Agency.

Receive the most important news from EWTN Vatican via WhatsApp. It has become increasingly difficult to see Catholic news on social media. Subscribe to our free channel today

Share

Would you like to receive the latest updates on the Pope and the Vatican

Receive articles and updates from our EWTN Newsletter.

More news related to this article

Cardinal Sarah Publishes New Book ‘Does God Exist?’

“Does God Exist?: The Cry of Man Asking for Salvation” is the title of a new interview book by Cardinal Robert Sarah, prefect emeritus of the Congregation — now Dicastery — for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments.

The Dedication of the Lateran Basilica: a Constantinian Turning Point

The Feast of the Dedication of the Lateran Basilica is a solemnity that finds its historical roots in the first half of the 4th century: the end of the harsh persecutions of Christians and the Constantinian Advent.

Update: Pope Francis rested well, continuing treatment in hospital, Vatican says

Pope Francis will continue to receive treatment after being hospitalized for a respiratory infection on Wednesday, a Vatican

Pope Leo XIV prays for victims, families of Texas flood disaster

Pope Leo XIV on Sunday prayed for the victims and families affected by the recent flood disaster in Texas.

What is being discussed during the first week of the Synod on Synodality?

Over 400 participants gather at the Vatican to officially launch the Synod on Synodality

Police: Suspect in theft of Benedict XVI’s pectoral cross arrested

Several months after the theft of a pectoral cross bequeathed by the late Pope Benedict XVI to a parish in his native Bavaria, police have apprehended the suspect in the Czech Republic.

LIVE
FROM THE VATICAN

Be present live on EWTNit