October 7, 2009

Q: Are there animals in heaven?

A: The Church has no explicit doctrine about animals in heaven.  It’s a matter of theological speculation.  However, concerning “Last Things” the Church teaches about “a new heaven and a new earth,” which presumably includes animals: “The Church, to which we are all called in Christ Jesus, and in which we acquire sanctity through the grace of God, will attain its full perfection only in the glory of heaven, when there will come the time of the restoration of all things. At that time the human race as well as the entire world, which is intimately related to man and attains to its end through him, will be perfectly reestablished in Christ” (“Lumen Gentium,” 48; “Catechism of the Catholic Church” Nos. 1042-1050).

According to Aristotle and Aquinas, animals do have souls.  But they define “soul” very broadly as the “principle of life” or “life force.”  According to this broad definition anything that’s alive has a soul. They distinguish, however, between different kinds of souls. Only man, they say, has a rational soul that’s immortal. Animals are not in heaven because they are not rational and therefore not immortal.  On the other hand, Peter Kreeft, professor of philosophy at Boston College and popular author and speaker, speculates that there must be animals in heaven. His opinion can be summarized in this simple syllogism:
1. Heaven is a state of perfect happiness.
2. Animals (our pets especially) are part of our happiness.
3. Therefore, animals are a part of heaven.

In the Bible, animals are clearly part of Paradise and constitute part of man’s original “blessedness.” Psalm 36:5-6 says: “Your steadfast love, O Lord, extends to the heavens. …You save both man and beast.” The prophet Isaiah envisions “a new heaven and a new earth” in which “the wolf and the lamb shall feed together“ (Is 65:25).   On the other hand, John’s vision of heaven in the Book of Revelation says a lot about angels, archangels and saints, even fruit-bearing trees, but nothing about animals (other than the “four living creatures,” the “beast” and the “dragon”).  Jesus didn’t say anything about animals in heaven. But I often wonder what happened to the donkey after Jesus’ triumphal entry on Palm Sunday!

This week’s apologist is James Cavanagh, director of the Office of Evangelization and Catechesis for metro-area parishes of the Denver Archdiocese and author of the Breaking Open the Word Scripture reflection. Send your question to: editor@archden.org.