Animals in the new creation
Amid weeks with more than their share of bad news, one story before the new year seemed like a glimmer of light in the darkness. The world grabbed onto it: Pope Francis comforting a boy as he grieved the death of his dog, telling the boy he’ll see his dog in heaven.
Except the pope never said that. It didn’t happen.
The story of how the spark of rumor got fanned into flame is interesting, and it’s being told. What I’m wondering about is this: why did people so desperately want this story to be true? What does our fascination with such a story tell us about humanity, about who we are and want we want? I have a few hunches:
