17th Dec 21 - Animal Rites

Fr dear Fr: When is it permissible for a Christian Minister to conduct funeral services for deceased domestic pets of Christian Families?

Animal Rites as opposed to Animal Rights - this is quite new, though for some years now, children have been conducting such Rites in their gardens for their dearly beloved late pets.

George Basil Hume as a cardinal archbishop of a cold unfeeling diocese once famously said that there were no animal rights for animals since they are not persons and do not have a rational soul like human beings do, but he disappointed many young people and young children who are of a different mind. He also disappointed the Thomists among the theologians. For these latter and indeed for the former, animals have sensitive souls if not rational souls which does not mean they do not have souls at all and that we won't see them our beloved pets in Eternity just to make us happy as young people, so Aquinas teaches this doctrine and as ever and as usual he is often much more broadminded on such matters than modern prelates and bishops.

The practice of blessing the remains of animal pets which have been killed or which have simply died of old age has crept in the back door of late with Christian pastors following the lead of the Franciscans in the old franciscan church in Rome for the big day there of the 4th October. It has also crept in the back door because more and more motorists and drivers have been burying the remains of animals they kill accidentally on the countryside roads, burying them neatly by the side of the road and with a prayer, beseeching forgiveness from God for killing one of his lovely wild creatures. So this is how more and more young people and children especially have been asking their local vicars and ministers for a blessing of the remains of Fido in the back garden - a nice innovation and one that easily suits the emotions of the occasion.

While the western codex does not envisage any specific Rites of Blessing for these occasions, the eastern codex is more enlightened and more compassionate for such pastoral eventualities, advising pastors to be pastoral when dealing with young families where the western codex simply features a cool and somewhat cold "visitet familias." So the blessing of animal pets is envisaged as part and parcel of a modern parish outreach as more and more vicars and prelates are briefing off the record for the occasion. Lots of children experience strong emotions when they see their pets die, and many of them first ask the big questions about heaven and hell and purgatory on these occasions of their parents and their vicars and pastors. So it is all to be organised more fully in time. Some enlightened Greyfriars type pastors have already taken the issue and the law into their own hands and have begun this broader blessing of animal pets in the gardens of their people and their children - a nice occasion with real sentiments being exchanged. Still experimental at this stage but we shall see how the requests from the authorities pan out.