In his address for the opening of the General States of Birth, Pope Francis confronted the issue head on, noting that the Italy has long had the lowest birth rate in Europe. In 2020, Italy saw the fewest number of births since national unification in the 19th century. Although young people want to have children, the Pope said, “their dreams of life, buds of rebirth for the country, clash with a demographic winter that is still cold and dark: only half of young people believe they will be able to have two children in their lifetime.”

Reports and commentary, from Rome and elsewhere, on the XIV Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops