Tip the dog, Soda the cat and Tweety-bird, indeed all animals will also go to heaven.
At least this is one interpretation of remarks made by Pope Francis in his weekly general audience in the Vatican, reports the Guardian.
“The holy scripture teaches us that the fulfilment of this wonderful design also affects everything around us,” said the Holy Father.
Relying heavily on St Paul’s letters to the early Christian communities, Pope Francis reminded everyone that a “new creation” lies ahead.
He added: “It is not an annihilation of the universe and all that surrounds us. Rather it brings everything to its fullness of being, truth and beauty.”
Italian daily Corriere della Sera was in no doubt about his meaning. “It broadens the hope of salvation and eschatological beatitude to animals and the whole of creation,” wrote the paper’s Vatican specialist in an article published on Thursday.
With apparently little room in the Catholic Catechism allowing room for animals in heaven, reaction to the possible interpretations of Pope Francis’ comments remains mixed.
Every year on the feast of St. Anthony the Abbot pets attend mass with their owners and both receive a blessing at Saint Eusebio church in Rome.
Sources
- The Guardian
- La Stampa
- Image: The Guardian