Letters

Fertility rates

Brian Harris

Contents - Feb 2004 - Buy a copy now Editorial: What is the purpose of Catholic schools? - Michael Gilchrist Liturgy: 'Excellent start' on accurate English Missal translation - AD2000 REPORT News: The Church Around the World Modern church design: 'Spank the architect!' - Paul Mees Melbourne and Sydney initiatives to educate adults in the Catholic faith - Peter Holmes Human life: precious from conception - Fr Angelo Serra SJ Interview: Scott Hahn interviewed on Dei Verbum : What Vatican II taught about Scripture - Zenit News Service Letters: Social Justice Statement - John R. Barich Letters: Celibacy book review - Fr Adrian Head Letters: Higher calling - Judy O'Reilly Letters: Christ's gift - Wendy Francis Letters: One-World Church? - Philip Robinson Letters: Fertility rates - Brian Harris Letters: New Age? - Fr Don Coutts Letters: Clarification - August Magdaleno Books: Spiritual Combat Revisited, by Jonathon Robinson - Richard Egan (reviewer) Books: Anti-Catholicism in America: The Last Acceptable Prejudice, by Mark S. Massa SJ - Michael Daniel (reviewer) Books: Mystical Flora, by St Francis de Sales - Mark Posa (reviewer) Books: The Rosary : Chain of Hope, by Benedict J. Groeschel CFR - Michael E. Daniel (reviewer) Books: The Beginner's Book Of Chant, by a Benedictine monk - Paul Russell (reviewer) The foundation of moral law: the pagan witness of Cicero, 106-43 BC Books: AD Books - Fresh book titles for the New Year Reflection: The ministerial priesthood: 'truly a gift from God' - Fr Dennis W. Byrnes

Australia with a fertility rate of 1.73 babies per woman has moved well below the required rate of 2.1 babies to survive.

In Europe the birth rates are even worse. In Spain, women average 1.15 babies each, in Italy it is 1.23, in the UK 1.8 and Ireland is highest at 1.9 babies per woman.

France with a rising fertility rate of 1.89 babies per woman has seen that there will be too few young people to support the old and the government would not have enough money to pay pensions. To prevent this happening the Govemment has given generous subsidies to the nation's families who have three or more children.

Genesis, verses 27-29 states: "So God created human beings, making them to be like Himself. He created them male and female, blessed them and said, 'Have many children so that your descendants will live all over the earth and bring it under their control'."

BRIAN HARRIS
Hadfield, Vic

Reprinted from AD2000 Vol 17 No 1 (February 2004), p. 15