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."
Yes. Astonishing.
“Heaven goes by favor. If it went by merit, you would stay out and your dog would go in.” - Mark Twain
Misanthropy is the wind beneath my wings.
See #43.
The Prince of Lies has had a LOT of practice.
Yep, that quote popped to mind.
I think creature here is man since they are all speaking praise to the Lamb. Still, good response.
We’re not a very likeable species.
It;s a statement. Nothing more. I have had priest say yes and no on this one. Do you know why? This is the type of question children often ask. Do you look into their little faces and tell them that their beloved pet will not go to heaven? My guess is there are far to many on here that would be that heartless, because after all it's not in the scriptures.
I greatly admire Pope Francis’s vocal opposition to abortion and euthanasia. His politics and economics, not so much.
I bet your cats love that!
Well, I know of no scripture that says this. But there are a few animals in the heavenlies in scripture: eagles, horses, Ezekiel’s whatever’s, etc.
Some animals are beasts. We’ve had 5 purebred collies - we live in the forest and they are home-bodies and generally don’t run away.
Collie #2 was evil. From 6 weeks old would bite your hand as you tried to feed him, baring teeth angrily, growling. Rabidly (almost) would attack anyone who tried to show him affection. Incorrigible.
We were not upset when a pack of feral dogs attacked him in woods near our house and killed him. Led to Animal officers finding the pack and shooting them all as they had been terrorizing our area for a month or so.
Generally humans are the only ones who torture and are evil. This dog was the exception.
Thank-you!
I don`t know anything about it because the bible don`t say but it would not surprise if the animals has a lot better chance that their owners.
There is a thing called the “Rainbow Bridge”.
Neither burst into flames, I took that as a good sign. But love it? LOL! No, not so much!
Would you tell him he’s not going to heaven?
Nope... and I wouldn’t tell Mrs Kjam22 either.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.