A pinch in the Pope's ears
My grandparents had dozens of children. My parents had 4 children. I don't have any children. The Pontifex says that not having children is a kind of selfishness. Well... maybe that's true. But the tragic circumstances of my life are also true and I cannot ignore them.
The Church supported the 1964 coup d'état in Brazil and that defined my life, because my father was politically persecuted and my family became impoverished. No Pope, Bishop or Priest took care of my needs.
Men are bound to reproduce the circumstances of their families and the historical trauma they suffered. What right do I have to condemn someone to carry the dramas of my own existence that I didn't create?
Maybe the Pope has more faith than I do, but he doesn't have children either. It is evident that I cannot have the same faith, but at least I can stop the existence of a disgraced country that disgraces the lives of people by refusing myself the selfishness of having children.
Is there an illness in my consciousness? Maybe not; more likely, yes. But only I know the painful emptiness that I must carry because the Church decided to interrupt a government in Brazil, without worrying if this would crush thousands of people who would be born.
There is no hatred in my words, nor violence in my actions. I am able to recognize what is human in any human being. But please, give some thought to your decision to condemn anyone who refuses to have children. Maybe these people are just doing the only thing they can do.
I was baptized, but I have no religion. This is better for me. What is good for you, only you can decide. But the Church you govern doesn't have politically clean hands in Brazil and that can mess anything you say about people having children or not.
Be well and prosper, you are a good man. It doesn't matter what you said. I will be generous not having children. Thanks.