Pope Francis says dogs can go to heaven - Update

(Photo: VINCENZO PINTO, AFP/Getty Images)

 by Arden Dier:
(NEWSER) — Pope Francis continues to show he's anything but traditional. During a recent public appearance, Francis comforted a boy whose dog had died, noting, "One day, we will see our animals again in the eternity of Christ. Paradise is open to all of God's creatures."
Theologians say Francis — who took his papal name from the patron saint of animals, St. Francis of Assisi — was only speaking conversationally.
But the remark is being seen by some as a reversal of conservative Catholic theology that states because they are soulless, animals can't go to heaven,The New York Times reports.
In 1990, Pope John Paul II said animals have souls, but his successor, Pope Benedict XVI, gave a 2008 sermon that seemed to say the opposite...Continue reading...
Related: "You Can't Keep a Good Dog Down" from "All Dogs Go to Heaven" by Don Bluth.

Pope Francis turns out not to have made pets in heaven comment Read here.