Pope Francis was "surprised" and "sorry" amid reaction to his comments earlier this week about breeding "like rabbits" that triggered controversy, a senior Catholic Church official said in a report published Thursday.
On Monday, in informal comments to journalists on a return flight from the Philippines, the pope said that parents can be good Catholics without being "like rabbits" and producing large families.
The pope's words, using a common expression for people who have many babies, caused shock and offended some people, including parents with several children.
In an interview with Catholic daily newspaper Avvenire, Msgr. Angelo Becciu complained the words were taken out of context, but the pope was "sorry" for any "confusion" he might have caused.
Catholic doctrine forbids artificial birth control, which critics say leaves couples few choices but to have many children.
Becciu, substitute for general affairs at the Vatican, said the pope on Wednesday told him that he was surprised by the reaction.
"He smiled and remained a little surprised that his words - (which were) deliberately simple - have not been fully contextualized," Becciu was quoted as saying.
"The wording of the pope should be interpreted in the sense that the act of procreation in humans cannot follow animalistic instinct, but is the result of an act... rooted in love and mutual giving," said Becciu.
On Wednesday, Francis seemed to back away somewhat from his comments during his weekly audience in St. Peter's Square.
There, he said that large families "are a gift from God".
His comments on the flight from the Philippines came as he described a woman with seven children who faced a caesarean section to deliver the eighth.
Francis said he asked her if she was being responsible by risking her life to have children.
"God gave us the means to be responsible," Francis said to reporters as he related the story.
"Some think that - and excuse the term - that in order to be good Catholics, they must be like rabbits," he said.
Becciu on Thursday said: "(The pope) is really sorry that we have created such a confusion". http://popefrancisnewsapp.com/
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