By Judi McLeod ——Bio and Archives--December 14, 2014
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That was an interpretation that put upon Francis’s remarks by the Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera, which then got garbled in translation and picked up by the international news media. The New York Times, after writing a gushy, slanted, and inaccurate story on the topic, subsequently issued this correction:
Correction: December 12, 2014 An earlier version of this article misstated the circumstances of Pope Francis’ remarks. He made them in a general audience at the Vatican, not in consoling a distraught boy whose dog had died. The article also misstated what Francis is known to have said. According to Vatican Radio, Francis said: “The Holy Scripture teaches us that the fulfillment of this wonderful design also affects everything around us,” which was interpreted to mean he believes animals go to heaven. Francis is not known to have said: “One day, we will see our animals again in the eternity of Christ. Paradise is open to all of God’s creatures.” (Those remarks were once made by Pope Paul VI to a distraught child, and were cited in a Corriere della Sera article that concluded Francis believes animals go to heaven.)Got that? Francis didn’t say anything to a grieving boy. Neither did the apostle Paul. It was (allegedly) Pope Paul VI. Francis didn’t say that animals go to heaven. Corriere della Sera leapt to unjustifiable conclusions because Pope Francis said that God has a plan to renovate the world. MORE FROM A SIMILARLY-EMBARASSED CNN. So this is another sensationalistic story about Pope Francis with no basis? Yes. This is another case of the media getting the story utterly wrong and hyperventilating about Pope Francis for no reason. The media is functioning as a vast echo chamber where reporters who don’t know beans are simply repeating what other reporters who don’t know beans have said. The reasons for suspicion that I cited in point #2 (above)—and particularly the thing about the apostle Paul comforting a boy who’s dog had died—should have told any knowledgeable reporter that something was wrong with the story. Memo to reporters: This isn’t a matter of rocket science. It’s a matter of checking your sources before shooting off your mouth. Did Pope Paul VI say to a bereaved boy what is attributed to him? Who knows? If you search the Vatican web site for the relevant quote, you get nothing. At this point, I don’t see why anyone should trust anything attributed to a pope about animals going to heaven—not without a solid reference to a checkable, primary source document. As we’ve just seen, the dangers of getting bad info by relying on the papal rumor mill are too great. But surely no one is more memorably humourous than the Internet’s popular Fr. Z, who posits in his Dec. 12 post, “ASK FATHER: Will I Have my Pets Again in Heaven?’
“People have been asking me: Are there animals in heaven? Will I have my pets in heaven? “This has probably been stirred up by something Pope Francis reputedly said recently in the press (as it turns out, it was false reporting, but here goes): “One day, we will see our animals again in the eternity of Christ. Paradise is open to all of God’s creatures.” “First and foremost, this was not – good grief… do I have to write this? – a definitive statement. “In our Judgment we shall certainly be judged according to how well we carried out our role as stewards of creation. We were given all of material creation for our proper use. We mustn’t abuse critters. We can use them, but properly. If we consciously misuse them, we sin, either venially or mortally. “That said, I hope we will still be able to have steak and Cabernet. “But, let’s settle down about this and not get excited or put reason aside in favor of sentimentality. It isn’t that important. “Finally… think about this for while: “If pets can go to heaven, they can also go to hell.”Pet owners worldwide, including CFP’s beloved pet Yorkie, ‘Yankee’, can attest by the millions that Fidos have already found Heaven on Earth.
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