MATERA, Italy: In off-the-cuff remarks on September 26, Pope Francis urged Italians to have more children.

While in southern Italy for the closing of an Italian church congress and an open-air Mass, the Pope told reporters,"I'd like to ask Italy: More births, more children."

Francis has frequently referred to Italy's "demographic winter." Today, Italy is among the nations with the lowest birth rates in the world.

Similarly, Prime Minister-elect Giorgia Meloni campaigned on a "God, family and homeland" theme. She has proposed offering larger financial incentives for couples to have children.

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