The Pope Made a True Statement! No kids, no hope!

Earlier this month at a conference on the Italian birth rate, Pope Francis said, “The birth of children, in fact, is the main indicator for measuring the hope of a people. If few are born it means there is little hope. And this not only has repercussions from an economic and social point of view but also undermines confidence in the future.”

That is absolutely true! It's a little ironic coming from a pope who said Catholics shouldn't breed like rabbits. But, to his credit, he also promoted Church teaching against contraception on that occasion.

Catholics used to be known for their openness to life and by their large families. When I was growing up, our family (ten children) was not all that unusual. We weren't the only ones taking up an entire pew at Sunday Mass. Even as an adult, I remember a friendly taxi driver in New York City years ago commenting on our five children with a chuckle. "You must be Catholic or Mormon." I doubt that happens much today. More likely...."You must be Muslim."

The collapse of the birthrate is a disaster for a nation. China is reaping the rotten fruit of their one-child policy. Other Asian countries have it even worse. In his article, Anti-Natal Engineering, Scott Yenor of the Claremont Institute, describes how political policies promoting population control in South Korea poisoned relations between men and women. Between promoting feminism and implementing economic penalties for large families, the government helped kill the desire in both men and women to marry and form families. Who needs it? The country recently lifted the ban on importing sex robots. Apparently sex with a machine is preferable in the minds of many men to real, more complicated relationships. 

Politically, antagonism between the sexes is reflected by the growth of the anti-feminist People Power Party which attracts almost 60% of men under thirty while the feminist party attracts 64% of women in the same age group. The romantic "dance" of the sexes has devolved into a war dance. The sexual divide between men and women is widening with the collapse of marriage and a total fertility rate (TFR) well below replacement level (.79). In fact, East Asian nations have the lowest TFRs in the world. 

All of South Korea's efforts to reverse the disastrous policies of the past and raise the birth rate are failing. The nation is well on the way to extinction. How did it happen? Here's a bit of the explanation from Yenor's article:

Oral contraception was introduced in 1967; abortion was legalized in 1973; tube-tying was normalized in 1976. Park’s government and its successors created incentives for families to have fewer children. In 1974, child tax exemptions were limited to the first three children—then, in 1977, to the first two. In 1984, education subsidies were likewise limited to the first two children. Those sterilized under national programs received priority placement in public housing, better government-­sponsored loans for housing, and more income support. Governments provided tax exemptions and public ­funding for abortions, vasectomies, tube-tying, and oral contraception.

It's hard to undo the brainwashing of decades.  

But the bad news isn't limited to Asia. The U.S. is also experiencing a serious birth dearth with a TFR below replacement level. Environmentalists may be happy, especially the extremists who think the best thing a person can do is commit suicide and have his body composted for fertilizer. Those of us with foresight can see how a crashing population will impact all of us. Big companies that have embraced population control policies will see their customer base disappear, especially those catering to the needs and desires of families with children. Elderly people aren't MacDonald's or Starbuck's customer base. Good-bye, happy meals. Neither do they purchase much baby food, children's books and toys, or swing sets and other playground equipment.

How many schools, day care centers, recreation programs, etc. will be shuttered? With an aging population the push for euthanasia will increase. Get rid of those useless eaters cluttering up the planet. More population collapse.

On the other hand, there is one place that the birth dearth is not apparent. Go to a Traditional Latin Mass and you will see numerous families with five, six, eight, ten children. Just as the Israelites became a threat to the pagan Pharoahs of Egypt, young, devout Catholic families threaten the powers that be, which explains exactly why the FBI is targeting them and labeling them domestic terrorists. They threaten big government just by their existence.

But we know the end of the story for the Israelites and how persecution and martyrdom became the seedbed of the faith. It will happen again. Holy Catholic families living the faith is the answer to the devil's assault on the world. He thinks he can defeat God by destroying the family. It ain't going to happen. 

Now if only Pope Francis and his like-minded minions would recognize where hope lies instead of trying to stamp out the greatest light in the Church, the traditional Latin Mass. He can't do it, of course, because the faith is not a secular institution. God can use anything to advance goodness and truth, even persecution (perhaps especially persection) and He will do it. So embrace hope and pray harder.

Want hope? Go to a Traditional Latin Mass: 2015 Altar boys' Mass in Trenton, NJ

Check out Latin Mass resources for children.

Let us all stay faithful and soldier on in the Valley of Tears. God wins and He continues to send babies to families and communities that welcome them with open arms. 

And a blessed and happy Mother's Day to all you moms and grandmas out there! May your number increase.

May Jesus Christ be praised!