Pope Francis Applauds Indonesian Family Values Amid Global Decline

Pope Francis, visiting Jakarta, commended Indonesians for prioritizing family with multiple children, contrasting it with the growing trend in other countries to prefer pets over children. Speaking alongside President Joko Widodo, he reiterated similar remarks from a previous conference, highlighting the demographic challenges in Western nations.

Pope Francis praised Indonesians on Wednesday for their large families, suggesting that people in other countries are choosing pets over children.

Speaking alongside Indonesia's president, Joko Widodo, in Jakarta, he noted, "Your country has families with three, four, or five children that keep moving forward, and this is reflected in the age levels of the country."

The pope reiterated earlier remarks made at a Rome conference, emphasizing that homes in Europe are filled with objects but lack children, becoming sad places. He drew attention to declining birth rates in Indonesia and globally. In the U.S., Republican JD Vance faced criticism for similar comments about childless Democrats.

(With inputs from agencies.)