Pets dey replace children for many households for Italy - Pope Francis

To start family don become one "titanic effort" wey be say na only di rich fit afford, Pope Francis don sama warning.

Wen im dey address one conference on Italy demographic crisis, e say pets dey replace children for many households.

Also on stage, na dozens of young pipo, wey wear t-shirts wey dey tok say "we fit do dis" – as dem dey try to convince pipo to get more children.

Italy get one of di lowest fertility rates for di EU and birth rates don drop below 400,000 last year – dis na new low.

For im speech for Rome, di Pope say di way birth rate dey reduce na signal of lack of hope for di future, as sense of uncertainty and odas don weigh down younger generations.

"Difficulty to find stable job, sky-high rents and insufficient wages na real problems," e tok.

As im dey warn say pets dey replace children for some households, di Pope recount how one woman don open her bag and ask am to "bless her baby".

Except say no be baby, but na one small dog.

"I lose my patience and tell her off: e get many children wey dey hungry, and you bring me dog?" e add am.

Birth rates dey go down for many kontris- like Japan, South Korea, Puerto Rico and Portugal.

But di shrinking population na major worry for Italy – wey be di third-largest country for di eurozone.

Di kontri fit lose almost one fifth of im residents by 2050. At di same time, di population dey age quickly - di number of centenarians for Italy don triple ova di last 20 years.

Dem dey mostly see Italy as "Di kontri of empty cribs". Even Elon Musk tweet am last month say : "Italy dey disappear!"

Experts warn say di population crisis go lead to poverty of di kontri. Economy Minister Giancarlo Giorgetti say by 2042, di way Italy birthrate dey go down e go end up to reduce im gross domestic product (GDP) by 18%.

E get many reasons why women for Italy dey get fewer babies.

Young pipo dey struggle to find stable jobs and di childcare support system no dey reach, and e dey make am hard for mothers to balance work and family life.

Six out of 10 mothers no get access to nurseries, according to di charity Save the Children.

Dem dey force many pregnant women to resign, and sack some wen dem get belle.

Di way Italy birth-rate dey go down "na national emergency" Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, wey tok alongside Pope Francis add.

Di image of di two leaders – wey both dress in white head to toe – dey speak togeda dey very symbolic for Italy, as to show say di issue dey so urgent, say e go beyond politics or religion.

"Fixing di problem na absolute priority. We want Italy to go back to get a bright future," she tok.

Mrs Meloni, wey win di largest share of di women vote for September elections but no dey consider herself feminist, don make mothers and families central part of her discourse.

She don create one ad hoc ministry to address di issue of declining birth rates and her goment don hint say dem go encourage pipo to get children as dem go comot dem from income tax.

Pope Francis call for politicians to find "forward-looking solutions to avoid make Italy no enta sadness".

At di end of im speech, plenti pregnant women queue on stage make e for touch dia belle and give dem a blessing.

Shortly afta, some children surround di Pope for one group hug.