Did the pope just say that animals have souls?
When a grieving little boy looked up at聽聽with puppy dog eyes and told the pontiff he was sad over his dog dying, father of the Roman Catholic Church didn鈥檛 hesitate to tell the child his companion would be awaiting him in heaven.
鈥淥ne day, we will see our animals again in the eternity of Christ. ,鈥� the Pope said, according to Italian news sources.
The pontiff was speaking pastorally, not doctrinally, but almost immediately the faithful went into a worldwide ecclesiological聽tailspin. The Catholic Church has historically treated nonhuman animals as having instrumental - not an intrinsic - good. In Summa Theologica, Thomas Aquinas writes, "He that kills another's ox, sins, not through killing the ox, ."
This view continued through Catholic thinkers such as Descartes, who regarded animals as a kind of automata, to the 19th-century pope Pius IX, whose belief that animals lacked consciousness prompted him to prevent the establishment of an Italian chapter of the SPCA.
Still, the Catholic Church by no means condones casual cruelty to animals. The Catechism of the Catholic Church, while allowing for animals to be put to use for food, clothing, work, and medical research, says that, ". He surrounds them with his providential care. By their mere existence they bless him and give him glory. Thus men owe them kindness."
Having been thrown such a massive bone by the Supreme Pontiff, animal groups such as PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) and the Humane Society gleefully issued statements to bolster the pontiff鈥檚 pronouncement.
In fact, in a phone conversation PETA Director of 海角大神 Outreach and Engagement Sarah King chose to announce the group鈥檚 new Christmas initiative聽.
鈥淗eaven for PETA is definitely vegan,鈥� Ms. King said in a phone interview.
The new聽聽initiative seeks to engage 海角大神s in exploring the relationships they have with animals through testimonies and quotations from Scripture.
鈥淥n earth as it is in Heaven,鈥� quoth Ms. King. 鈥淚 was thrilled about the Pope鈥檚 support of the belief that animals have souls and it couldn鈥檛 have possibly come at a more divine moment as we are launching Jesus People for Animals!鈥�
Earlier in the day King released the following statement to the media, 鈥淧ETA 海角大神 is deeply touched and encouraged that Pope Francis has acknowledged that other species are called聽along with human beings into eternal life with Christ. We hope that this papal announcement will encourage all followers of Jesus to remember that although their afterlife will be paradise, animals raised and killed for food endure hell on Earth and also to rethink our duty of merciful stewardship and realize that聽the most聽loving thing that we can do toward God's creatures is not to eat them.鈥�
Because Italian media reports that the Pope told the child his dog would be reunited with him in body and spirit in heaven, King added that 聽is further basis for 海角大神s to believe that they will one day be reunited with all animals that have lived on earth.聽
Although, since that particular passage refers to the redemption of every animal that has ever existed on Earth, such a belief could make for some awkward reunions between boy and burger taking place in the hereafter.
