Mary KennyWhat is informally called the Pope’s ‘rabbit’ speech – when he remarked that families don’t have to “breed like rabbits” – scarcely needed underlining in most European countries today. Far from “breeding like rabbits”, the European fertility rate is catastrophically low.
And even in Ireland, where fertility has traditionally been high – and even valued – almost a third of young women in their thirties are now postponing having children for economic reasons.
In a way, this is not an altogether new attitude. In times gone by, men and women postponed parenthood by later marriage. In the 1950s, American reporters mocked at Irish brides and bridegrooms for their maturity – being in their thirties by the time they tied the knot. We know the story about the farmer waiting to inherit the land.
Most people have tried to be responsible about not bringing children into the world until they can look after them. Yet when there were big families which did put a strain on budgets, let’s remember with what heroism and sacrifice many mothers and fathers coped.
I grew up in Dublin near to Ringsend, which was then a working-class area of Dublin 4, often, it seemed, teeming with kids. We knew families who raised 12 or 14 kids in those two-up, two-down terraced houses.
It is true that mothers and fathers were sometimes overburdened by such large numbers of offspring, and yet, you can meet many an older person today who remembers, not the deprivation, but the dedication and sacrifice of their parents in those times.
Dublin taxi-drivers in particular have often spoken to me with such love and respect for their mothers who raised large families with fortitude and cheerfulness, even in slum conditions.
I don’t see my own generation, with our small number of offspring, inspiring half so much honour.
Yet it is indeed sad if young women today are deferring parenthood because they feel they cannot afford to have a baby, because motherhood is not something you can defer over the long term. Fertility starts to fall at 35, and the window of opportunity for parenting begins to close.
Pro-family organisations should indeed focus on how we can support family life, and that includes all practical means to encourage women in their 30s to have their chance of motherhood.
Greece dispensed with traditional blessing
One of the first gestures of the new regime in Athens, last Monday, was to dispense with the traditional blessing offered by the Greek Orthodox Church when a government is sworn in.
This was a beautiful and traditional ceremony which expressed the historical faith of the Greek people, but the new left-wing Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras (pictured) wished to emphasise secularism. (They also, incidentally, dispensed with neckties for men.)
Mr Tsipras laid roses at a memorial to Nazi victims in Greece, which was quite proper, but perhaps a little pointed, considering how anti-German the Syriza campaigns have been.
Well, they are the new government now and we shall see whether they are able to deliver their promises of recovery.
But it may be noted that some of the most prosperous and stable regimes in Europe still begin their parliamentary day with prayers.
So dispensing with blessings is no guarantee of political or economic success.
Charlie Hebdo full of drivel
I finally received the famous copy of Charlie Hebdo delivered to my local newsagent – a confection of adolescent drivel, obsessed with jokes about masturbation and erections. It’s hard to believe that mature men and women can produce this.
And isn’t there something contradictory about our Taoiseach marching in a “Je suis Charlie” demo one week, and soon after, having the flags lowered on state buildings for Saudi Arabia where a man is flogged for blogging his political views.
Christine Lagarde’s handbag makes waves
My loyalties were somewhat divided by a debate which followed the picture of Christine Lagarde, the boss of the IMF, carrying a €7,000 (estimated cost) Hermes Kelly handbag as she walked through the corridors of power with Enda Kenny.
Social media was awash with objections to Madame Lagarde’s reticule which, it was claimed, could fund benefits for several thousand families in Ireland who are in dire straits. On the other hand, these handbags are truly beautiful, and isn’t a thing of beauty a joy forever?
But is it tactful for the wealthy elite to flaunt their expensive possessions?
Yet, by purchasing such a handbag, doesn’t the lady give employment to leather workers, designers, retail assistants and those toiling in the fashion industry?
Indeed, a struggle of conscience ensued. As a handbag addict, I could scarce forbear a twinge of admiration for Madame Lagarde’s taste. My own handbags are less lavish – I’ve bought some at charity shops for under €5 – but when you add them all up, I wouldn’t be surprised if it totalled something quite akin to an IMF sum.