That is what I struggle to accept. People here are saying that their animals will be in heaven, and the Pope said so, which implies that their pets will live for all eternity in heaven. The only way you can live for all eternity is to have an immortal soul. I thought that only humans have immortal souls. To say that animals have immortals souls would seem to be a change in Catholic teaching.
Not everything the Pope says becomes ‘Catholic doctrine’. For example when the Holy Father made the statement about Martians being baptised that does not make it ‘Catholic doctrine’. In order for it become doctrine he would have to proclaim publicly:
**a) that he is speaking *ex cathedra ***(from the Seat of Peter);
b) by the authority of the Magisterium (Pope and Bishops who lay down what is authentic Catholic Teaching) and;
c) define a doctrine concerning faith or morals to be held by the whole Church
The above criteria must be met before it can be declared a Catholic Teaching. When the above occurs the Papal pronouncement is* infallible*.
No doctrine of the Catholic faith has ever been changed. No-one on earth including the Pope has the authority to change doctrine no matter how badly some theologians may want it to or how loudly they claim it can. The doctrines of the Catholic Church are the deposit of faith revealed by Jesus Christ, taught by the apostles, and handed down in their entirety by the apostles to their successors.
On the other hand
Catholic disciplines can and have been changed.
Examples of Discipline below from Fr Charles Grodin posted on CAF JULY 7/2012 -
"there is nothing inherently wrong with eating meat on a Friday. It is a discipline of the Church that on Fridays in Lent we abstain from eating meat for our spiritual enrichment. Disciplines, because they are not truths, can change. At one time the Church discipline was to abstain from eating meat on all Fridays of the year.
In the case of celibacy, there is nothing inherently wrong with married priests. In fact, the Eastern Catholic Churches has always had married priests. In the Western/Latin Church we have also had exceptions such as married Anglican clergy who converted to become Catholic priests and are married. The traditional discipline of celibacy has been asked of priests as an imitation of Jesus Christ. It spiritually connects the priest to his ministry in a way that is unique. A priest of the Latin Church is spiritually, physically, emotionally, etc. given completely over to his priestly ministry through the visible sign of celibacy."
Nor do I believe that the lack of earthly baptism will condemn anyone to burning in hell …God is wiser and more loving than that. In an old graveyard in Donegal there is a grave of twin baby girls, both called Mary. A local man walking his dog told me the history that the midwife knowing the babies would not live baptised them both Mary as it was the only name she could think of in the few seconds she had. Outside the graveyard the killeens threatened, where the unbaptised were buried. That kind of terror is surely alien to God. And I leave all that to God, even Hitler. Not for me to judge anyone so I do not