Scottish Catholic Observer

At this time of year, as the Holy Father receives a gift of two donkeys, we remember that animals played an intregral part in the Nativity (above, Pope carries sheep last year). Throughout time people have often ask if they will see their pets in heaven. While the Catechism does not directly address the question, it does offer guidance.

All living things have a soul—this is what makes an organic body live. When any living thing dies, its soul is separated from its body. In the case of plants and animals, it has been thought that the soul goes out of existence. But in the case of human, the soul remains in existence. Ours differs from the souls of animals as ours the seat of intelligence or reason—therefore we are held responsible for our actions and animals are not. Secondly, the human soul is immortal.

By saying the Kingdom of Heaven is open to all God’s creature during a recent general audience, Pope Francis was telling bereaved pet lovers, particularly the young, that when they hopefully get to heaven, they could ask God to see their old pets if he still wished to. There is no harm in this. As Catholic adults, many believe that the peace and joy of being with God in heaven would take away our need for the love and companionship of late pets. As Christians we believe we were created in God’s image and that He loves us, but that He also created all living things as part of his plan, a plan which none of us can claim to fully understand.

Young parents were once trying to console their six-year-old daughter when her dog died by explaining animals don’t live as long as humans. The girl seemed more at peace with the loss of her beloved pet than her parents.

“It’s alright,” she told them. “Dogs don’t have to live as long as us, they are born good, we need longer to become good.”

From the mouth of babes indeed.

So before critics and the Faithful alike interpret Pope Francis’ comments as a change of tact, remember, during a public audience in the 1990s, St John Paul II drew similar attention when affirmed that the animals, like men, were given the ‘breath of life’ by God.