animals

[Guest david]

I'm having difficulty with the concept of animals having souls. I believe it was in 1990 that Pope John Paul II declared that animals do infact have souls. He stated that animals are 'as near to God as men are'. Does thise mean that animals can sin? Can they go to Heaven? The Pope called us to have moral respect for animals, but surely animals cannot possibly have moral respect as they act mainly on instinct, not according to a moral code.

[Pio Nono]

JMJ
8/11 - St. Clare of Assisi

david,

The idea of animals having souls is not a specifically Christian thought; the idea of "soul" is more of a biological definition. Ancient natural philosophers (modern-day scientists) needed something that distinguished a living thing from a dead thing - that factor was described as the soul. All living things - plants, animals and men - have souls. However, they have different types of souls. Man's soul is the only one that is capable of going to Heaven.

As far as moral action, animals do not have a capacity for moral judgment. In philosophical lingo, they are more acted upon (by their environment and desires) than acting. Hope this helps.

Yours,
Pio Nono