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Pope Francis’ most recent statement on responsible parenting — which he made on his flight back to Rome following his Philippine visit — has been the subject of features in both local and international news agencies.
READ: Pope Francis asks Catholics to be responsible parents, not to ‘breed like rabbits’
While the Pope had said that he defends the Church’s teachings against artificial contraception, he had clarified, “Some people think that – excuse my expression here – that in order to be good Catholics we have to be like rabbits. No. Parenthood is about being responsible. This is clear.”
“However, Senator Tito Sotto, a known opponent of the Reproductive Health Bill, doubts that Pope Francis ever made the statement,” reports Ryan Chua on ABS-CBNnews.com.
Sotto remarked to reporters on Tue, Jan 20, “Somebody invented it. Somebody invented the statement.”
When he was told that the Pope’s statement has been widely reported in the international and local media, Sotto said, “Where’s the soundbite? Where’s the video? It’s out of character for (the Pope) to say that.” (Well, we can’t speak Italian, but we’ve embedded a news clip below that tackles the “rabbits” statement.)
The report noted: “Sotto added that he only believes Pope Francis called for responsible parenthood.” He added, “But for the Pope to say that we should stop breeding like rabbits… That’s just somebody’s invention.”
Sotto, who opposed the reproductive health law when it was being debated in the Senate, also pointed out that his beliefs are consistent with the teachings of the Catholic Church and so he has no problems with the Pope’s statements—except that on breeding like rabbits.
Photo: GMA.tv
