He Pope Francis finished the first stage of the tour Asia-Pacific with an interfaith meeting in the Mezquita Istiklal, the largest in Southeast Asia, and officiated a mass in a large stadium in She foughtHis visit, which began on Tuesday, was marked by an intensive pace, however, Francisco87 years old, showed a remarkable vitality and good spirits.
Indonesia, the country with the largest Muslim population in the world, welcomed the Pope with interest in issues of peaceful coexistence. However, the pontiff’s comments on birth rates generated a mixed reaction on social media.
In a statement that mixed humor and irony, Francis regretted that in some countries people prefer to have pets instead of childrenreferring to the global demographic situation. “In your country, people have three, four or five children, it is an example for all countries, while some prefer to have only a cat or a dog. That cannot go well,” he said during a speech at the presidential palace.
The joke drew laughter from the Indonesian president, Joko Widodo, and a quick response on social media. Some users criticized the Pope, suggesting that the Indonesian reality is more complex, with a declining birth rate.
On social media, Indonesians were quick to react to the pontiff’s remarks, saying that some preferred their wallets to human beings. Others felt that the future of Indonesia, where they live, 280 million inhabitants, It is more gloomy than the Pope believes, as the country’s birth rate is falling.
According to the World Bank, This has been reduced by more than half since the 1960s.
Since his appointment in 2013, Francisco He addressed the “demographic winter” and urged procreation, stressing that the real problem lies in selfishness and consumerism, not in the number of children born.
This visit to Jakarta, part of a tour that also includes Papua New Guinea, East Timor and Singaporewith the aim of establishing “an interreligious dialogue” on global challenges.
Related
2024-09-09 04:20:34