Pope Francis has infuriated women with his latest claim that people who opt to have pets rather than children are "selfish."
The Pontiff had been speaking to an audience at the Vatican when he suggested that raising pets instead of children "takes away our humanity."
Speaking at the Vatican, he said: "Today … we see a form of selfishness. We see that some people do not want to have a child.
"Sometimes they have one, and that’s it, but they have dogs and cats that take the place of children. This may make people laugh but it is a reality."
The Pope went on to add that as a result, "civilisation grows old without humanity because we lose the richness of fatherhood and motherhood and it is the country that suffers."
Taking to Twitter in an outrage, thousands of women made sure to tell the Pope what they thought of his latest claim.
Reacting to the Pope's recent statement, one woman asked: "A man with no children telling women they're selfish not having children. Selfish to who exactly?"
Another tweeted: "The Pope and so many others have such a fetishization of the uteruses of women. Stay out of 'em. Not everyone wants kids. Society barely cares about the kids who are already born and need love, shelter, and happy homes."
"I’m sorry, didn’t realise I owed Pope Francis a newborn," commented one Twitter user.
"Pope Francis is talking real loud for someone who also does not have children," wrote another.
"How many babies has the Pope?" asked a third.
Whether you're not financially ready to raise children, you're biologically unable to have children, or you've decided to commit yourself to God (*cough, cough*) there are countless reasons why people don't become parents.
As one Twitter user aptly put it: "Choosing pets over kids isn’t selfish; it’s being responsible over what one could handle given the circumstances. A man who will never father children and be responsible for their growth and progress should refrain from commenting on reproduction."
We couldn't have said it better ourselves.
Featured Image Credit: Alamy
Ali Condon