http://www.cbsnews.com/news/pope-francis-walks-back-remark-about-catholics-breeding-like-rabbits/
Pope change his mind on breeding “like rabbits”?
Pope Francis leads his Wednesday general audience in Paul VI hall at the Vatican, Jan. 21, 2015. REUTERS
ROME — During his weekly general audience in St. Peter’s Square, Pope Francis sought Wednesday to clarify remarks he made earlier in the week which suggested Catholics should limit the number of children they have, if they can’t afford to take care of them properly.
Aboard the papal plane from Manila to Rome on Monday, the Pope spoke of his disapproval of a woman who was expecting her eighth child.
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“Does she want to leave seven orphans?” asked the pontiff, wondering aloud whether she was trying to tempt god by undergoing an eighth birth by cesarean section.
Using the colorful language that has become his hallmark, the Pope said being a good Catholic did not mean people should breed “like rabbits,” and added that there were many church-approved ways to limit births without resourcing to contraceptives, which are banned by the Catholic Church.
Wednesday, he seemed to pull back from that statement. Speaking of his recent trip to the Philippines, where he presided over the largest mass in history, he said “it gives consolation and hope to see so many numerous families who receive children as a real gift of God. They know that every child is a benediction.”
He called “simplistic” the belief that large families were the cause of poverty, blaming it instead on an unjust economic system. “We can all say that the principal cause of poverty is an economic system that has removed the person from the center, and put the god of money there instead.”
Mons. Anthony Figueiredo, a theologian and Director of the North American Pontifical College in Rome, said the two statements are not contradictory.
“When the Pope speaks on the plane, he is speaking as a pastor to ordinary people,” said Figueiredo, who is a CBS News consultant. “When he comes back, he wants to speak as Pope.”
The Monsignor said that while some Popes have put doctrine first, Francis puts the person first.
“It’s a risky business, there is no doubt about it; because when you begin with the person, everyone has their own way of hearing it.”
Putting Pope Francis squarely into any category can be difficult.
Speaking to reporters during Francis’ trip to the Philippines, Archbishop of Manila Luis Antonio Tagle said that when he’s asked whether the pope is a liberal or a conservative, he responds simply: “he is who he is.”
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Will the Pope Go Vegan? | Posted January 20, 2015 | 11:35 AM
I jest not. Never having been one to adhere to any organized religion, in fact I have an utter contempt for them, I find myself nonetheless more than a little happy to hear Pope Francis has made global climate change a top concern. According to the Associated Press…
Exposing the Big Game 
I loved this comment. He didn’t need to change a thing about it. It needs to be said.
The Pope would never be allowed to support birth control or become a vegan even if he wantred to. The intransigent faithful, in the Vatican and without, would see to that.
What would you like the Catholic church to be? New Age?
I need spirituality in my life because if I thought what mankind has to offer is all there is…..I don’t know *shudder*! Pretty grim. My beliefs tend to be influenced by the nature-based and Eastern, esp. Hinduism, and I was raised Protestant – but I’m happy to see Pope Francis speaking like he has about the environment, climate change and overbreeding humans! The thing is, modern humans need to exercise a little self-restraint with their behavior. Plus who could not love his name.
I am a Catholic with no children. And a vegan Catholic. I like the Jain religion and the concept of ahisma. During mass you can find me reading a book on the afterlife with emphasis on mediums and ectoplasm. The priest would not approve. But he doesn’t know because I sit in the very back. If I did not have spirits what would I have? I’ll tell you what I’d have-people and life in an intellectual prison. I’d have nature and animals of course but without the spirit it would be meaningless. No spirit and life is a biological progression to nothing. I need something.