A Catholic bishop has stated that children growing up in broken families are “born losers” and could become troublesome adults.
Speaking to the Irish Independent, Bishop of Elphin Christopher Jones said that he had seen first-hand from working in social services in the 1960s and 1970s that children from such backgrounds grew up “disturbed and dysfunctional”.
The Sligo bishop did however state that he felt single mothers in society were giving a “heroic” effort and that our reaction to marraige breakdown should be one of compassion.
Telling of his time with children from broken homes, Bishop Jones undeniably used quite harsh language to describe the situation:
“Many of them were born losers,” he told the broadsheet. “They had no start in life in terms of a loving relationship… They grow up disturbed and dysfunctional.
“When a culture of marriage weakens, an ever-growing number of children will never experience the inestimable value of being raised by a loving, married mother and father.
“This is not to say that children cannot thrive outside of the marital family but if we really value childhood, then we must do what we can to try and ensure that children are raised by the fathers and mothers who bring them into the world,” he added.