Pope Francis Orders White Women to Have Children with Muslim Migrants-Fiction!
Summary of eRumor:
Pope Francis supposedly encouraged white women to “breed” with Muslim migrants to counter declining birthrates.
The Truth:
The claim that Pope Francis ordered white women to breed with Muslim migrants to address declining birthrates is a complete fabrication. The claim is based on an wide-ranging interview that Pope Francis gave to French publication La Croix in 2016.
The Pope discussed a range of topics. Christian roots in Europe, the separation between church and state, Muslims and Christians living side-by-side, and migrants arriving in Europe were all discussed. Translated transcripts of the interview reveal, however, that Pope Francis did not order white women to “breed” with Muslim migrants.
Asked about fear of Islam in Europe, Pope Francis responded that it was not “a fear of” Islam. Rather, he said it was a fear “of ISIS and its war of conquest, which is partly drawn from Islam.” He added that “coexistence between Christians and Muslims is still possible,” he added.
Claims that Pope Francis ordered white women to breed with Muslim migrants to address declining birthrates popped up on fringe websites known for fabricating stories. The quote mostly common attributed the Pope goes:
“Today, I don’t think that there is a fear of Islam as such but of ISIS and its war of conquest, which is partly drawn from Islam,” he told French newspaper La Croix. “It is true that the idea of conquest is inherent in the soul of Islam, however, it is also possible to interpret the objective in Matthew’s Gospel, where Jesus sends his disciples to all nations, in terms of the same idea of conquest.”
“This integration is all the more necessary today since, as a result of a selfish search for well-being, Europe is experiencing the grave problem of a declining birth rate,” he stated. “A demographic emptiness is developing.”
Again, Pope Francis didn’t actually say that. This rumor is “fiction.” But the baseless claim resurfaced in 2018 and was re-reported as “breaking” news.