Pope Leo XIV, St. John Paul II, and the Fertility Crisis, by John M. Grondelski

By John M. Grondelski, The Catholic Thing, October 16, 2025

John Grondelski (Ph.D., Fordham) is a former associate dean of the School of Theology, Seton Hall University, South Orange, New Jersey. All views herein are exclusively his.

Pope Leo XIV has joined the chorus of those lamenting the implosion of global fertility levels. Speaking after a visit with the President of Italy, the Pope urged action to implosion of fertility and the collapse of childbearing. Encouragingly, he specifically extolled gendered names for family members: “‘Father,’ ‘mother,’ ‘son,’ ‘daughter,’ ‘grandfather,’ ‘grandmother’. . .[t]hese are words that in Italian tradition naturally express and evoke sentiments of love, respect, and dedication – sometimes heroic – for the good of the family, community, and therefore for that of society as a whole.” They also express what is necessary to – and the result of – childbearing, something “parent one” and “parent two,” as several countries now designate mothers and fathers, do not.

Remedies for this state of affairs often focus on social reforms: parental leave, subsidies and tax breaks for families, childcare, and so on. There are indeed elements in our socio-economic structures that militate against families. It’s good that the pope noted them. But methinks his focus might be somewhere else. ….

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