Popes and animals May 12th, 2025 558 words

Disclaimer: Some of the facts were different on different sites. I tried to present them as factual as possible.
Carol
After the passing of Pope Francis, a story of His Holiness and a chocolate Labrador has been circulated. The Pope was said to have found the stray under a bridge . After looking into his soul filled eyes, Pope Frances adopted the dog. Though Vatican regulations forbid animals in the Papal residence, Pope Frances was not the first Pope to demonstrate his love of animals.
The open courtyard of the papal gardens have been the home of many exotic gifts to the pope. In the middle ages, such gifts were sent to cement favors from the current pope.
In modern times Pope Leo XIII had an elephant that was kept in the garden. The Pope kept Hana for two years on the Vatican grounds. This was collaborated by the recent of excavation near the Vatican library revealing the remains of Hana’s bones.
Pope Pious the XII is reported to have rescued an injured finch in the gardens. The finch had an broken wing. The Pope nursed the bird back to health and continued to keep the bird in his residence. Pope Pious was given several canaries. During the Popes meals, the birds were allowed to roam freely. Gretel was an inseparable companion. The Pope would be seen having a conversation with the bird on his finger.
Pope John the XXIII had a French bulldog named Winston. The pontiff named the dog for Former prime minster Winston Churchill.
Pope Paul the VI would take scraps on his walks to feed stray animals that he would encounter in the Vatican gardens. He forbid gardeners from killing insects. He had the cat at the beginning of his papacy. named Margaret.
Pope John Paul II wrote in 1990 a doctrine that reminded that all living creatures came into being by the breath of God. He wrote that all animals have a soul. He advocated for animal and their dignity. He told an interviewer about a dream he had. The dream was himself following a mother cat with 6 kittens. He followed the family as they tried to find food and shelter in a snow storm. The first was a doorman at a high rise, then a Jesuit Catholic church and an Anglican church. The cat family was shooed away as the Pope watched helplessly. Finally, the Feline family came to a poor woman’s small home. She welcomed the cats into the warmth of her small dwelling.
Pope Benedict was known as a cat lover. He had a cat named Chico at his home in Germany. On his walks, he would fill his pockets with scrapes to give to the stray cats. Often, they would follow him for some distance. When he retired, He would go into the gardens to find cats to feed. Pope Benedict disagreed that animals had souls.
Pope Frances believed that animals we befriended would be raised into glory forever. One small boy told his parents that his dog was so kind and loving that he had to go to heaven. Humans take a lifetime to learn the same lesson.
Pope Leo XIV predecessor Leo XIII, was an advocate for the rights of the workers. We will wait to see if he advocates the rights of all of God’s creatures.
Carolaspot@aol.com
copyrighted 5-12-25