Pro-life senator can’t believe Pope’s remark on ‘breeding like rabbits’

Anti-Reproductive Health Law advocate Senator Vicente Sotto III can't believe Pope Francis indicated that Catholics should not be like rabbits to make a call for responsible parenthood.

 

“I doubt it. Imbento lang yun. He won’t say that. For him to say responsible parenthood is believable but saying breeding like rabbits is out of character,” the acting minority leader, said in a text message to GMA News Online.

 

He added that if the Pope indeed said those words it was taken out of context.

 

The senator further said that he read the transcript of the interview with the Pope and he believed what was published was not what the Holy Father meant.

“I just read the complete statement of the Pope. He is completely against contraception. Example lang yung reference sa rabbit. As usual, taken out of context,” Sotto said.

 

Sotto was asked for his reaction to the Pope's remarks in an interview on board the papal plane.

 

In an interview with journalists on his flight back to Rome after his five-day visit to the Philippines, Pope Francis appealed for responsible parenting as he recalled his conversation with a mother of seven children and at that time was pregnant with her eighth.

 

"She said, 'I trust in God.' But God gave us the means to be responsible," Pope Francis said. "Some think, and excuse the term, that to be good Catholics, they must be like rabbits." 

 

He said that the Catholic Church’s teaching against artificial contraceptives does not mean "Christians should have children one after the other."

 

“The key teaching of the Church is responsible parenthood. And how do we get that? By dialogue. There are marriage groups in the Church, experts and pastors," Pope Francis said.

 

Sotto was one of the senators who opposed the passage of the Reproductive Health law which is until now under the status quo ante order of the Supreme Court. —NB, GMA News