Posted on 12/11/2014 7:59:05 AM PST by Slings and Arrows
In his weekly address at the Vatican late last month, Pope Francis issued a remarkable statement that’s sure to come as welcome news to anyone who’s ever lost a beloved pet. According to Francis, the promise of an afterlife applies not only to believers, but to all animals as well.
"The Holy Scriptures teach us that the realization of this wonderful plan covers all that is around us, and that came out of the thought and the heart of God," Pope Francis said, as quoted by Italian news site Resapubblica.
The Pope then went on to say that “heaven is open to all creatures, and there [they] will be vested with the joy and love of God, without limits.”
Pope Francis’s stance on animals stands in contrast to that of his predecessor, Benedict XVI, who despite reportedly being a cat lover, said that animals’ existence was limited to their time on Earth. But Francis isn’t the first pontiff to take an animal-friendly approach to ideology. As newspaper Divisione la Repubblica notes, Pope John Paul II held a similar position, saying animals had a “divine breath.”
This isn’t the first time that Francis, who adopted his papal name in honor of the patron saint of animals, St. Francis of Assisi, has spoken out on behalf of nonhumans. In his first homily as pope, Francis articulated mankind’s role in serving not only the divine, but in all creatures born from it:
“The vocation of being a ‘protector,’ however, is not just something involving us Christians alone; it also has a prior dimension which is simply human, involving everyone. It means protecting all creation, the beauty of the created world, as the Book of Genesis tells us and as St. Francis of Assisi showed us. It means respecting each of God’s creatures and respecting the environment in which we live."
And the Lion will lie down with the lamb.
And the Lamb lies down on Broadway.
Sure will make my wife happy!
Every animal I’ve had close, long-term contact with had its own personality, its own likes, dislikes, good days, bad days, etc.
I’ve been around animals who played tricks on people as well as other animals, and I’ve been around animals who stole from people as well as other animals.
I’ve been around animals who mourned if they lost a person or another animal with whom they had bonded.
I’ve been around animals who struggled to figure out what a person was asking them to do, and when they DID figure it out, I’ve seen these animals express what can only be described as joy.
Sure, they go to Heaven. Why not? They’re sentient beings!!
Isaiah 11:6
6 The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them.
The tribe of Judah was said to be the lions whelp, Jesus was the lion of the tribe of Judah.
Joseph is called a shepherd and a stone, the one who cares for the flock.
The tribe of Benjamin was called as ravin as a wolf or ravishing as a wolf.
what about Shark-topus.
I would have a hard time believing my sweet little ol’ Cocker Spaniel would simply cease to exist.
Sure, they go to Heaven. Why not? They’re sentient beings!!
There is what we call dumb animals and I have not saw anything out of them, but dogs and other animals are amazing.
I have seen so many things from dogs that it defies description because it would not be believed.
I had a dog hitch hike one time, I was on a dirt road driving slow when this little dog got in front of my truck, I had to stop or at least thought I did.
After I stopped he came around to the side, and out of curiosity I opened the door and he jumped in and got into the passenger seat.
Down the road a few miles he stood up and put his paws on the window and barked , since there were some dwellings there I stopped and opened the door he wagged his tail and jumped out.
I never did figure if that was where he wanted to go or if he just did not like my driving.
“You think dogs will not be in heaven? I tell you, they will be there long before any of us.”
Robert Louis Stevenson
Probably one of my top 2-3 favorite episodes.
Heaven is a scriptural construct. While Scripture does not definitively state that animals do NOT go to Heaven, it doesn’t say they DO either. And to the degree they are regarded as soul-less — not necessarily insentient — they do not qualify.
Frankly, I think there are much more important theological matters. Would anyone eschew eternal bliss because they couldn’t bring Fluffy into the Kingdom?
Ceiling Cat confirms.
All animals go to Heaven.
i’m trying to perform an exorcism on my 5 mo old puppy who is resisting housetraining! He was already blessed on St Francis of assisi’s feast day.
1) thing founded
2) created thing
Every created thing.
Never heard God refer to his human children as "things".
LOL I have 10 month old Lab. She’s potty trained but the rest of the training is touch and go. I had not thought of exorcism, but now...... hm, that could be the just the thing.
1) thing founded
2) created thing
Every created thing.
Never heard God refer to his human children as "things".
There also seems to be subtext of “pay the heck attention to what your animals are telling you”.
Humans, particularly today, are heavily inclined to ignore their own intuition and peripheral perceptions.
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