And last week Pope Francis resurrected another question about heaven that has been debated for centuries by theologians:
“Is there a doggy door in those pearly gates?”
The issue came up when the pope, hoping to console a little boy whose dog recently had died, was quoted as saying, “One day we will see our animals again in the eternity of Christ. Paradise is open to all of God’s creatures.”
His remark seemed to contradict the doctrine espoused by Pope Pius IX in the 19th Century that declared animals can’t go to heaven because they don’t have consciousness. But it was greeted enthusiastically by animal rights supporters.
“If the pope did mean that all animals go to heaven, then the implication is that animals have a soul,” a Humane Society spokeswoman declared in a New York Times article last week. “And if that’s true, then we ought to seriously consider how we treat them.”
Others even suggested that, if animals have souls, that meant we shouldn’t eat meat. Which leaves open the question of whether, if animals such as lions and tigers have souls, should they still eat other animals that have souls, such as gazelles and emus, or should they become vegans?
And if dogs are getting into heaven, what about cats? And fleas? It would be comforting to think that our late little Yorkie is spending eternity romping through Elysian fields with unlimited supplies of Milk Bones and fire hydrants. But if there are cats and fleas there, too, will he really be happy?
“Historically,the Catholic Church has never been clear ” on the question of whether animals go to heaven, one religion professor noted in the Times interview. “It’s all over the place, because it begs so many other questions. Where do mosquitoes go, for God’s sake?”
Good question.
I’m not sure how heavenly Heaven can be if there are mosquitoes there.
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