Turns out, Pope Francis didn't say pets go to heaven

The news reports suggesting Pope Francis said dogs can go to heaven grabbed headlines on Dec 12, but it turns out that the pontiff never actually commented about whether pets get a pass to the afterlife.

The confusion began when Pope Francis' 26 November speech on a comment that Pope Paul V, who died in 1978, did make several decades ago was misread, News.com.au reported.

The past pope once said, reportedly while comforting a child whose dog had died, "one day we will see our animals in the eternity of Christ."

This statement was then highlighted and analyzed by Italy's Corriere della Sera, which interpreted it to mean the pope believes animals go to heaven, and drew an analogy with another pope who spoke on the subject.

The Vatican's deputy spokesperson, Father Ciro Benedettini, said that there is a fundamental rule of double-checking in journalism and in this case it was not done.

As for what Francis does think about animals, he has not spoken much about them in public, but Benedettini said that from the general tone of his speeches and gestures it is clear that he is in spiritual harmony with all of creation.