Well that's a question people have been asking all week as the media have been reporting that Pope Francis said that pets go to heaven. But, with a few days to let it sink it and some people actually parsing what the Pope said, it seems he didn't say that at all but it was Blessed Paul VI, or did he? It was St Paul, or did he? That's where we are at the moment. The media are gradually waking up to what was not said, or are they? Business as usual it seems.
So the moral of the lesson: media - check your facts, double check them, as the old hacks used to do in the old days when objectivity and accurate reporting were the aims of the media. Faithful: take everything reported about this pope with a hefty dose of salt and hold fire, and say a prayer for him.
One interesting response to the story has come from Fr Z: if pets can go to heaven, there is also the chance that they may go to hell too. PETA won't be happy to hear that. Fr Z also reminds us of the teaching of St Thomas Aquinas in this regard: animals do have souls, but they are different to our immortal souls: animals have sentient souls, humans have intellective souls, so when the animal's body dies, so too its soul, they are not subsistent.
There's a great way to start a week: parsing Aquinas.
You address the faithful to take everything reported to be said about pope Francis with a grain of salt.
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This is the result of the current popes own strange destabilizing conduct and statements.
The pope is both head of a state and vicar of Christ.
His appointment occurred in bizarre circumstances with the resignation of a man who still uses the title in part of pope.
It is a mess and cardinal Burke is quite correct to describe the catholic church as like a ship now without a rudder.
Heretics and scoundrels run riot with their poison unchecked by any authority causing great damage to the Mystical Body of Christ.
I am praying to pope St .Pius the Fifth to intercede with God to resolve the matter.
I just couldnt help but burst out laughing at that piece of excellent humour reported by Fr z where he quips that if dogs can go to heaven then theres a possibility they can go to hell as well. You know the Saints had a great sense of humour maybe Im becoming a small bit saintly if I can be humourous. As to our poor dear Pope Frances. I am utterly convinced that on this occasion (and keep in mind I find his thought process very difficult to square with sound logic on some things) but that on this occasion - is all he was doing was his typical concern for a child that lots of people tend to do by saying in a concerned way that maybe the boys dog went to heaven as a means to reassure the child and nothing more. I think its worth stating that lots of statements by Pope Frances are excellent:- he does insist on us being joyfull, on us being peacefull, He is fantastic on his insitence that all of society especially us catholics have a sincere determined care for the poor, the elderly and immigrants. He is super on his example of getting us going to confession. I saw a photo of him kneeling down at a confessional himself. Although I have lots of critique of his logic on some issues I have to say I can also find tons to compliment him on as well. I really do believe he honestly cares about people and loves being about with all kinds of people. He does throw his arms around people with leprosy with disabilities etc.
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