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The
86-year-old leader of the Roman Catholic Church spoke in general
terms, without referring to France, in a speech to leaders and
staff of Italy's welfare agency INPS at the Vatican.
"To think that in some countries our grandchildren will be born
with a terrible public debt. The choice of sustainability, on
the other hand, responds to the principle that it is unfair to
put irreversible and too heavy burdens on young people," he
said.
France has been rocked by strikes and sometimes violent protests
against a reform that President Emmanuel Macron has pushed
through, bypassing parliament, which raises the retirement age
by two years to 64.
Other European countries, facing the challenge of longer
life-expectancy and falling birth rates, have adopted similar
cost-saving measures, with governments defending them on
financial sustainability grounds.
Francis, who last year said that choosing pets over kids is
selfish, said an unnamed Italian man in his 60s had once told
him: "Who will pay for my pension? It won't be the little dogs
that people have instead of children."
In his speech, he called for "wise politicians" who can
distinguish between good and bad times and who "avoid wasting
resources ... and do not leave future generations in dire
straits".
The pope also stressed the contribution made to pension systems
by foreign workers, and said people should have access to
dignified jobs, without excessive forms of temporary contracts
or being forced to accept undeclared work.
(Reporting by Alvise Armellini, editing by Crispian Balmer and
Nick Macfie)
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