The New York Times makes errors.  The New York Times makes corrections.

An article on Friday about whether Pope Francis believes that animals go to heaven — a longstanding theological question in the church — misstated the pope’s recent remarks and the circumstances in which they were made.

Longstanding theological question?  I remember that my CCD teacher in high school had to dissemble on the question, but I didn’t know it goes back to Thomas Aquinas…

But it’s curious, because…

He spoke in a general audience at the Vatican on Nov. 26, not in consoling a distraught boy whose dog had died.

But that latter part makes for a much more heart-warming story.  Which explains why it was passed off in the “Telephone” game as such… somewhere along the line, someone decided they needed to make this story entertaining.

According to Vatican Radio, Francis said, in speaking of heaven, “The Holy Scripture teaches us that the fulfillment of this wonderful design also affects everything around us.” He did not say: “One day, we will see our animals again in the eternity of Christ. Paradise is open to all of God’s creatures.” Those remarks are reported to have been made by Pope Paul VI to a distraught child.

Where do dogs come into the picture?

An article on Nov. 27 in Corriere della Sera, the influential Italian daily, compared Francis’ comments to Paul’s, and concluded that Francis also believed that animals go to heaven.

Just reading into the words…

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