(RNS) Pope Francis may have been elected by the Holy Spirit, but he seems made for the Age of Twitter.
A case in point were his latest remarks, in which he affirmed the Catholic Church’s ban on artificial contraception but derided the idea that “in order to be good Catholics we have to be like rabbits” and produce litters of kids.
“No,” he told reporters on his flight home from the Philippines. “Responsible parenthood.”
Moments earlier, Francis had signaled his approach to the vexed birth control issue when, with equally quotable verve, he said the contraception ban “does not mean that the Christian must make children in series.”
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Not likely. He clearly reaffirmed the ban on artificial contraception as “prophetic,” especially given declining birth rates in the West.
Yet as Francis often does, he is shifting the focus from the “rules” to the principle behind the rules. He wants Catholics to be more open to life and family and children, however many they have, and he does not think that wealthy Western countries should be telling other societies how and when to procreate.
“For the poorest people, a child is a treasure. It is true, we must also be careful here,” Francis said. “But for them, a child is a treasure.”
