Pope Francis: All dogs do go to heaven

REJOICE! Pope Francis has delivered good news for dog lovers everywhere — our four-legged friends are welcome in the kingdom of God.

Illustration by artist Steve Follett of DT journalist Joe Hildebrand's black labrador dog Barney, now happy in heaven after 17-year-old was killed by Joe's mother.

POPE Francis has delivered good news for dog lovers everywhere — our four-legged friends are welcome in the kingdom of God.

During his weekly address in the Vatican on Wednesday, Pope Francis was consoling a little boy whose dog had recently died and assured the boy that he would see his beloved canine again in heaven.

“One day, we will see our animals again in the eternity of Christ. Paradise is open to all of God’s creatures,” he said, according to Italian news sources.

God welcomes all ... Pope Francis has pleased dog lovers everywhere. Picture: AFP

Pope Francis’s words were welcomed by animal groups such as the Humane Society.

However the statements contradict the conservative Catholic belief that animals do not have souls and therefore can’t go to heaven.

Pope Francis has often expressed more liberal views than his predecessors, saying it is not up to him or others to judge the gay community, supporting evolution and the Big Bang Theory and inviting punk rock icons to perform at the Vatican.