Pope Leo XIV delivered a pointed address to members of the European Parliament’s Intergroup on Demography on May 25, connecting Europe’s collapsing birth rate directly to its abandonment of Christian values — and calling out “purportedly family-friendly policies” that simultaneously promote abortion.
“A rejection of the Christian inspiration of the founding fathers of the EU institutions has led to a time of drastic sterility,” Leo told the group, “not only because too many have been deprived of the right to be born, but also because there has been a failure to pass on the material and cultural tools that young people need to face the future.”
“As a result, we are not infrequently faced with the contradictory claims of purportedly family-friendly policies, which simultaneously promote discrimination against motherhood, exalt abortion as a right, and undermine the very foundation of the desire to start a family,” he warned.
Leo underscored the central place of the family — founded on marriage between a man and a woman — as a pillar against both excessive state intervention and the advance of individualism. He described Europe’s demographic decline as “an urgent challenge” encompassing not only an aging population but what he called “the pandemic of loneliness.”
According to Eurostat’s latest data, all EU countries have recorded declining birth rates since 2004. In 2024, the EU birth rate stood at 7.9 live births per 1,000 inhabitants — down from 16.4 in 1970. The EU’s median age reached 44.9 years in 2025. The pontiff stated plainly: “Children are the future!”
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