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."
Having Heaven full of animals would not be a surprise. Having it full of people would.
He's flatly wrong in this case, contradicting St. Thomas Aquinas -- who run tight little rings around him as a theologian -- who explained that animals have animal souls, which are not immortal.
King James Bible
Ecc 3:21
Who knoweth the spirit of man that goeth upward, and the spirit of the beast that goeth downward to the earth?
Ecc12:7
Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it.
See #6.
This guy is unfit to be Pope. He’s a theological moron.
That is true. Thanks for saying it.
Even Kujo?
I make an effort to bless my cats and the cats/kittens at the local no-kill shelter I volunteer at.
Well, Jesus returns riding on a white horse, so there's that....
Mine as well. But I do wonder if I failed to feed them if they would not just kill and eat me. :)
Revelation 5:13 makes a suggestion, though it does not define which creatures are in heaven.
“And every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying, Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever.”
Lol. Just watched that episode. Have to admit the Keeper of the First Gate just about had me fooled too.
Excellent!
“I have known cats that I am pretty sure ended up in hell.”
They run the place
GREAT post!
*GROAN*
I just re-read this in 4 different translations and while I can see where someone might take that to mean animals go to heaven I cannot say I interpret it that way.
Good response however, I wish I had that kind of quick turn around when seeking references.
One of the few statements of his I’ve liked.
Nah - I’d taste like cheap Chinese food.
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