Saturday, February 7, 2015

Pope:Spank Kids If Needed,Don't Demean Them; View Upsets Opponents of Corporal Punishment

"Spank your kids if you must, but make sure you don't demean them," was the gist of Pope Francis' message to parents around the world during his weekly general audience -- which was about the role of fathers in the family -- held in Rome this week, the Yahoo News website reports today (February 7, 2015).

Some groups -- including parents and children's rights advocates -- criticized the pope for what they saw as an endorsement of corporal punishment.

"It is disappointing that anyone with that sort of influence would make such a comment," said Peter Newell, coordinator at the Global Initiative to End Corporal Punishment of Children.

Peter Saunders -- founder of the UK-based National Association for People Abused in Childhood -- called the pope's statement "misguided." He said, "It is a most unhelpful remark [for the pope] to have made and I will tell him that." Saunders was abused by Catholic priests as a boy and was appointed by Pope Francis to a Vatican commission protecting children from abuse.

No comments:

Post a Comment