During a recent public appearance, Pope Francis comforted a boy whose dog had just died, saying,

quote, one day we will see our animals again in eternity.

Paradise is open to all of God's creatures.

In 1990, Pope John Paul II said animals have souls, but then Pope Benedict gave a 2008

sermon that seemed to say the opposite.

So let's clear up this papal perplexity, Pastor John.

What do you say, do pets go to heaven?

Let me say something about the Pope's words first, Pope plural.

They're all partly ambiguous.

Paradise is open to all God's creatures.

Does he mean they will all be there?

I doubt it because the devil is not going to be there, and he's a creature.

So that's not open to all God's creatures.

What does that mean?

He seemed to settle it when he says, we will see our animals again in eternity.

I'm not sure what sea means there, really.

Some ambiguity there.

Animals have souls.

That's ambiguous.

It seems to me because the Pope knows, he knows his Hebrew, that nefesh, the word that's

usually translated soul, is also translated living thing.

So any being with breath and blood in the Old Testament is distinguished from the plants,

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