“Just this side of heaven is a place called Rainbow Bridge.
When an animal dies that has been especially close to someone here, that pet goes to Rainbow Bridge. There are meadows and hills for all of our special friends so they can run and play together. There is plenty of food, water and sunshine, and our friends are warm and comfortable.
All the animals who had been ill and old are restored to health and vigor. Those who were hurt or maimed are made whole and strong again, just as we remember them in our dreams of days and times gone by. The animals are happy and content, except for one small thing; they each miss someone very special to them, who had to be left behind.
They all run and play together, but the day comes when one suddenly stops and looks into the distance. His bright eyes are intent. His eager body quivers. Suddenly he begins to run from the group, flying over the green grass, his legs carrying him faster and faster.
You have been spotted, and when you and your special friend finally meet, you cling together in joyous reunion, never to be parted again. The happy kisses rain upon your face; your hands again caress the beloved head, and you look once more into the trusting eyes of your pet, so long gone from your life but never absent from your heart.
Then you cross Rainbow Bridge together....
Author unknown...”
https://rainbowsbridge.com/poem.htm
Tremendous comfort. . .sappy but a loving tribute.
The Pope is wrong about dogs or any other animals being in heaven for that matter. But, he’s the Pope and I’m just some poster on FR. lol
“A broken clock is right twice a day.” I think that’s from Leviticus.
Disney said it first!
You actually DISagree with the current pope on certain things??
Actually, the Bible does not give any explicit picture of heaven: no pearly gates, no check-in by Saint Peter, and no animals are ever mentioned, unless a dog is a kind of angel.
There is one direct reference by Jesus. He is asked by someone in a crowd (probably a plant from the opposition) one of those trick questions which occasionally popped up: would marriage apply in heaven? This poses a dilemma, obviously. Jesus answered that there will be no giving or taking in marriage in heaven, and moved on to more immediate topics. This implies that heaven is a spiritual state: no floating on clouds, no playing harps (as the cartoons would have it).
There is a lot of pagan influence in many of our religious images, and the Catholic Church in particular takes readily to these features.
And since ‘tis the season, I might as well mention that Santa Claus is not Saint Nicholas. Santa Claus is of Germanic origin, and is derived from Belsnickel (or Pelznickel), which means fur devil. He was supposed to visit around the winter solstice, with a whip to punish bad children, and a bag of toys for good ones. Saint Nicholas, on the other hand, was a priest in Anatolia (what is now Turkey), where they did not wear furs; nor did they have sleighs and reindeer. Decorating fur trees is a Germanic seasonal derivation from pagan times. All these things are fun, but they do not have anything directly to do with Christianity. I hope that this does not disappoint anyone! It makes little difference, because the customs are mainly harmless, and even enjoyable.
Back to the Pope. He perhaps should have told the boy that he sympathized, but that he should save up and get another dog. We have many hardships, but we have to carry on.
Editor's note: An earlier version of this story wrongly suggested that Pope Francis said animals go to heaven. It has been corrected and the TODAY broadcast report has been taken down from the website.
Media reports that Pope Francis suggested that dogs can go to heaven circulated widely on Friday, wrongly reporting the Pope's original statement and the circumstances during which they were said.
Pope Francis never actually commented on the issue of whether dogs will do to heaven. According to Vatican Radio, the Pope said to a general audience (not a distraught boy as originally reported): "The Holy Scripture teaches us that the fulfillment of this wonderful design also affects everything around us.”
The misreporting stemmed from a report from the Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera, which interpreted the Pope's remarks to mean that dogs could go to heaven. The newspaper also drew comparisons to a quote from Pope Paul VI, which was then incorrectly attributed by many outlets to Pope Francis.
According to the Italian newspaper, it was Paul VI who had comforted a distraught boy with the words: “One day, we will see our animals again in the eternity of Christ. Paradise is open to all of God’s creatures.'’
http://www.today.com/pets/pope-francis-says-all-dogs-do-go-heaven-1D80365698 ----------- But it certainly sounds like something Frances would say.