Pope Francis cautions against replacing children with pets in Italy.

Pope Francis has warned that starting a family in Italy is becoming a "titanic effort" that only the rich can afford, and pets are replacing children in many households. Italy has one of the lowest fertility rates in the EU, and births dropped below 400,000 last year - a new low. The Pope said the declining birth rate signalled a lack of hope in the future, with younger generations weighed down by a sense of uncertainty, fragility and precariousness. The country could lose almost a fifth of its residents by 2050. At the same time, the population is ageing quickly.