Catholic Bishop: Lack of Young People May Pose Greater Threat Than Population Growth
By CNSNews.com Staff (CNSNews.com) - Roman Catholic Bishop Thomas John Paprocki of Springfield, Ill., said in a sermon delivered on Aug. 16 that a lack of young people may pose a greater threat to national well-being than population growth. “The prospect of an additional 100 million Americans by 2050 worries some environmentalists, who criticize families with a large number of children as detrimental to society,” the bishop said. “They seem to think that there won’t be enough room or natural resources for so many people.” “The reality, however, is that even with 100 million more people, the United States will be only one-sixth as crowded as Germany is today,” the bishop said. “Such criticism also fails to take into account that a dwindling population and a lack of young people may pose a greater threat to the nation’s well-being than population growth,” he said. “A rapidly declining population could create a society that doesn’t have the work force to support the elderly and, o...