Finally, Pope Francis confirms what we've always known: All dogs go to heaven!
During his weekly address in St. Peter's Square, the Catholic leader tried to console a little boy who was heartbroken over the death of his beloved pup. According to multiple reports, Pope Francis told the boy, "One day, we will see our animals again the eternity of Christ. Paradise is open to all of God's creatures."
Of course, this viewpoint goes against the conservative Catholic ideology that because animals don't have souls (!), they can't go to heaven. Some theologians have cautioned, per the New York Times, that Pope Francis "had spoken casually, not made a doctrinal statement."
Others within the faith, however, took the pontiff's words for what they were. "He said paradise is open to all creatures," Rev. James Martin, a Jesuit persist and editor at large of America, the Catholic Magazine, told the Times. "That sounds pretty clear to me."
It's pretty clear, too, that Pope Francis is a friend to the four-legged. In fact, he took his papal name from St. Francis of Assisi, the patron saint of animals.
But, back to that debate as to whether or not our furry and feathered friends have souls or not—the late Dr. James Herriot, a veterinarian and author, tackled this head-on in his story, "The Card Over the Bed." In it, he wrote about an encounter with "an old woman whose only fear is that she may never be reunited with her animals after death because some people say animals have no soul."
Dr. Herriot held the old woman's hand and told her reassuringly, "If having a soul means being able to feel love and loyalty and gratitude, then animals are better off than a lot of humans. You've nothing to worry about there."
Amen.