Starting a family in Italy is becoming a “titanic effort” that only the rich can afford, Pope Francis said on Friday, warning that “savage” free-market conditions were preventing the young from having children.
Births in Italy dropped below 400,000 in 2022, registering a 14th consecutive annual fall, with the overall population declining by 179,000 to 58.85 million. Italy’s fertility rate of 1.24 children per woman is among the lowest in the world.
Speaking at a conference on the growing demographic crisis, Pope Francis said the declining birthrate signalled a lack of hope in the future, with younger generations weighed down by a
