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Pope Francis has spoken out on this 
 before. In 2014, he said choosing pets over children could harm our 
. He called it "cultural 
". He said the emotional relationship with pets was "easier" than the "complex" 
 with children. He called the downward 
 in birth rates in many countries a "demographic winter". Not everyone agrees with the Pope's 
. The New York Post said Francis took his 
 from St. Francis of Assisi, the patron 
 of animals. It added: "Dogs...make us 
....They are 
 to most people."