Ricky Gervais Slams Pope's 'Ridiculous' Comments About Pets And Children

Ricky Gervais has sounded off about Pope Francis' comments that people who choose to have pets over children are 'selfish'.

"I think what he believes in is ridiculous," said Gervais, who is open about his atheism.

"It's a stupid thing to say, isn't it? How can not having children be selfish? How can it be selfish not to bring something into the world that doesn't exist on any level?

"It's not like there's a big line or cage of unborn foetuses going: 'We want to be born'.

"It doesn't make any sense."

The Pope's recent comments came in response to his concern about global birth rates, which His Holiness said were falling because people were choosing pets 'in the place of children' which he called 'a form of selfishness'.

Gervais and his partner Jane Fallon don't have children of their own, but do have pets, and he said he is happy with his choices, adding that 'there's enough' kids already.

He said: "No one's going, 'Gervais isn't having kids, we're going to run out soon'."

The Pope also said choosing to have pets over children 'diminishes us'.

"Today we see a form of selfishness. We see that some people do not want to have a child," he remarked.

"Sometimes they have one, and that's it, but they have dogs and cats that take the place of children.

"This may make people laugh but it is a reality."

Pet keeping was 'a denial of fatherhood and motherhood and diminishes us, takes away our humanity', according to the Pontiff.

As a result, 'civilisation grows old without humanity because we lose the richness of fatherhood and motherhood, and it is the country that suffers'.

He went on to say that people who are unable to have children should adopt and, while there is a risk with having children, there is 'more risk in not having a child'.