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Sorry, Fido. Pope Francis did NOT say our pets are going to heaven
RNS ^
| December 12, 2014
| David Gibson
Posted on 12/13/2014 2:52:13 PM PST by NYer
(RNS) When Pope Francis recently sought to comfort a distraught boy whose dog had died, the pontiff took the sort of pastoral approach he is famous for — telling the youngster not to worry, that he would one day see his pet in heaven.
Paradise is open to all of Gods creatures, Francis said reassuringly.
Pope Francis greets a crowd on his way to a meeting with cardinals at the Vatican on Feb. 21, 2014. RNS photo by David Gibson
It was a sparkling moment on a rainy November day, and the setting in St. Peters Square only burnished Francis reputation as a kindly peoples pope. The story naturally lit up social media, became instant promotional material for vegetarians and animal rights groups, and on Friday even made it to the front page of The New York Times.
Theres only one problem: apparently none of it ever happened.
Yes, a version of that quotation was uttered by a pope, but it was said decades ago by Paul VI, who died in 1978. There is no evidence that Francis repeated the words during his public audience on Nov. 26, as has been widely reported, nor was there was a boy mourning his dead dog.
So how could such a fable so quickly become taken as fact?
Part of the answer may be the topic of the popes talk to the crowd that day, which centered on the End Times and the transformation of all creation into a new heaven and a new earth. Citing St. Paul in the New Testament, Francis said that is not the annihilation of the cosmos and of everything around us, but the bringing of all things into the fullness of being.
The trail of digital bread crumbs then appears to lead to an Italian news report that extended Francis discussion of a renewed creation to the question of whether animals too will go to heaven.
One day we will see our pets in the eternity of Christ, the report quoted Paul VI as telling a disconsolate boy years ago.
The story was titled, somewhat misleadingly: Paradise for animals? The Pope doesnt rule it out. It wasnt clear which pope the writer meant, however.
The next day, Nov. 27, a story in the Italian daily Corriere della Sera by veteran Vaticanista Gian Guido Vecchi pushed the headline further: The Pope and pets: Paradise is open to all creatures.
Vecchi faithfully recounted the popes talk about a new creation, and also cited Paul VIs remark.
But the headline put those words in Francis’ mouth, and that became the story.
The Italian version of the Huffington Post picked it up next and ran an article quoting Francis as saying We will go to heaven with the animals and contending that the pope was quoting St. Paul not Pope Paul as making that statement to console a boy who lost his dog. (That story, by the way, is nowhere in the Bible.)
The urban legend became unstoppable a week later when it was translated into English and picked up by the British press, which cited St. Paul as saying that One day we will see our animals again in (the) eternity of Christ, while it has Francis adding the phrase: Paradise is open to all Gods creatures.
Fueling the meme was the fact that Francis was photographed accepting a gift of two donkeys from a company promoting the use of donkey milk for infants allergic to cows milk and Francis said his own mother gave him donkeys milk as a baby.
Social media and other media outlets then picked up the story, further conflating the statements and the chronology. It became a hot mess of a story that was also sparking another theological debate by a pope who was known for prompting controversy.
The New York Times was the biggest of several outlets relating an apparently apocryphal tale about pets, paradise, and Pope Francis.
When The New York Times went with the story, along with input from ethicists and theologians, it became gospel truth.
Television programs discussed the popes theological breakthrough, news outlets created photo galleries of popes with cute animals, and others used it as a jumping off point to discuss what other religions think about animals and the afterlife. At America magazine, the Rev. James Martin wrote an essay discussing the theological implications of Francis’ statements and what level of authority they may have. It was all very interesting and illuminating, but based on a misunderstanding.
A number of factors probably contributed to this journalistic train wreck:
- The story had so much going for it: Francis took his papal name from St. Francis of Assisi, the patron saint of environmentalism who famously greeted animals as brothers and sisters.
- Pope Francis is also preparing a major teaching document on the environment, and almost since the day he was elected in 2013 he has stressed the Christian duty to care for creation.
- Francis also blessed a blind mans guide dog shortly after he was elected, an affecting image that was often used in connection with these latest reports of his concern for animals.
- Moreover, the media and the public are so primed for Francis to say novel things and disregard staid customs that the story was too good to check out; it fit with the pattern.
In most accounts, Francis comments were also set against statements by his predecessor, Benedict XVI, who insisted that animals did not have souls. That apparent contrast fit a common narrative pitting the more conservative Benedict against the ostensibly liberal Francis.
That may be true in some areas, but probably not when it comes to animals.
Adding insult to injury, the Times article cited St. John Paul II as saying in 1990 that animals have souls and are as near to God as men are. But that, too, was a misquote, as media critic Dawn Eden explained at the website GetReligion.
On the other hand, there should have been warnings signs: Francis has frowned at the modern tendency to favor pets over people, and he has criticized the vast amounts of money spent by wealthy societies on animals even as children go hungry.
In addition, the popes huge popularity has led to at least one other instance of myth-making: news reports last year said that Francis was sneaking out of the Vatican at night to feed the homeless around Rome.
The pope personally debunked that rumor in an interview last March, saying the idea has never crossed my mind and that depicting the pope to be a sort of superman, a type of star, seems offensive to me.
Maybe hell have to give another interview to deflate this latest story, and to offer his real thoughts on pets and paradise.
TOPICS: Apologetics; Catholic; Religion & Culture; Theology
KEYWORDS: heaven; mistranslated; pets
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1
posted on
12/13/2014 2:52:13 PM PST
by
NYer
To: Tax-chick; GregB; SumProVita; narses; bboop; SevenofNine; Ronaldus Magnus; tiki; Salvation; ...
2
posted on
12/13/2014 2:52:38 PM PST
by
NYer
("You are a puff of smoke that appears briefly and then disappears." James 4:14)
To: NYer
They go to heaven regardless.
3
posted on
12/13/2014 2:56:32 PM PST
by
DLfromthedesert
(She accomplished nothing: should have stayed at home and baked cookies)
To: NYer
So...there’s T-rex in heaven??
If there are no dogs in Heaven, then when I die I want to go where they went. ― Will Rogers
5
posted on
12/13/2014 3:00:22 PM PST
by
loungitude
(The truth hurts.)
To: loungitude
That was the theme of a Twilight Zone episode.
6
posted on
12/13/2014 3:01:53 PM PST
by
MUDDOG
To: DLfromthedesert
Not sure if our specific pets go to heaven but the Bible is very clear that animals are with us in eternity.
8
posted on
12/13/2014 3:05:47 PM PST
by
BlessedBeGod
(Democrats are Cruz'n for a Bruisin' in 2016!)
To: NYer
9
posted on
12/13/2014 3:07:56 PM PST
by
Salvation
("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
To: NYer
Wow. I fell for it, hook, line and sinker. The thought of validating the belief of seeing ‘my old pals’ in heaven was irresistible. Some will continue to say This Pope said it, regardless of this article, because the idea is so very appealing and comforting to most animal lovers.
To: Sacajaweau
To: Salvation
It’s come out at least twice on FR alone. I believe you replied on that thread, too.
To: loungitude
If there are no dogs in Heaven, then when I die I want to go where they went. ― Will Rogers
*******
I know a few terrible dogs in my neighborhood who are so terrible that they have no chance of going to heaven, because they will frighten and attack even the angels for all eternity if somehow God allowed them into heaven. Just joking, I think.
To: NYer
Jesus’ first worshippers around the manger were the animals there. Why wouldn’t these innocent creatures go to Heaven?
My dogs get in or it’s no deal.
14
posted on
12/13/2014 3:11:36 PM PST
by
Argus
To: NYer
So non-Catholics pets go to hell with their owners? That’ll go over well.
To: NYer
If the Pope left "the pearly gates open," maybe he let all the animals out of Heaven!
To: Larry Lucido
maybe he let all the animals out of Heaven! Who you gonna call?
17
posted on
12/13/2014 3:15:24 PM PST
by
MUDDOG
To: Larry Lucido
How about a T-bone? I'll go for a T-bone steak...
18
posted on
12/13/2014 3:18:03 PM PST
by
COBOL2Java
(I'm a Christian, pro-life, pro-gun, Reaganite. The GOP hates me. Why should I vote for them?)
To: NYer; zot
But, Shirley, God let’s his children have pets.
19
posted on
12/13/2014 3:19:07 PM PST
by
GreyFriar
(Spearhead - 3rd Armored Division 75-78 & 83-87)
To: Argus
20
posted on
12/13/2014 3:19:17 PM PST
by
COBOL2Java
(I'm a Christian, pro-life, pro-gun, Reaganite. The GOP hates me. Why should I vote for them?)
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