Pope Francis baptizes a child in the Sistine Chapel on the feast of the Baptism of the Lord on Jan. 12, 2020.

Vatican Media.
Pope Francis baptizes a child in the Sistine Chapel on the feast of the Baptism of the Lord on Jan. 12, 2020.

Europe’s low birth rate “is a sign of societies that struggle to face the challenges of the present, and thus become ever more fearful of the future, with the result that they close in on themselves,” Pope Francis said in 2018.