Catholics/The Souls of Animals

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Expert: Fr. Timothy Johnson - 2/12/2009


Question
I know that the Catholic church teaches that Animals don't have souls. This is because they can't make moral decisions. How then can animals clearly mourn, obay and show affection for their masters and have social hiearchy and show compassion, (like a gorilla who once nursed an injured human baby.) Also, do animals have spirits, can they have an afterlife? Please explain and could you give me some helpful material?

Answer
Hi, Marcus:
Thanks for the question.
Actually the Catholic Church teaches that all living things have some sort of soul, because the soul is the principle of life, the unifying force behind the substance of a being.
Animals have animal souls, because they are alive; however, they do not have human immortal spiritual souls.  Animals can exhibit emotions, estimative sense, imagination, etc. as the faculties and abilities of their animal soul shares many things in common with the the underlying animal part even of the human soul.  These are the lower faculties of the animal nature of man.
The common opinion is that animals would not have an afterlife since they do not possess a rational and immortal soul.  In fact, it may be more than just an opinion.  It very well could be a defined doctrine.
I cannot right off hand think of any specific source to which to refer you, other than the Catechism of the Catholic Church; and then there are the writings of those classical theologians such as Saint Augustine and Saint Thomas Aquinas.  I suspect you could find a lot of information on the web with a search of certain key concepts about Catholic teaching on the soul, spirit, human, animal, etc.
I wish you the very best...

Fr. Timothy Johnson

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Fr. Timothy Johnson

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A Traditional Catholic Priest, validly and licitly ordained, incardinated legally and canonically in the Diocese of Fargo, and in good-standing with my Local Ordinary (Bishop) on active assignment at a rural Tri-Parish. I can provide honest and balanced answers to questions on topics pertaining to Traditional Roman Catholicism of the Latin Church (Councils of Trent and Vatican II)and a lot about the Eastern Catholic Churches, including the Sacred Liturgy, Sacred Scripture, Church History, the use of the Latin language, the tradition of Sacred Music, and current events in the Catholic Church from a traditional, historical and balanced perspective.

Experience

I have been ordained a Roman Catholic Priest since June 2001.

Organizations
Knights of Columbus; Church Music Association of America (CMAA)

Education/Credentials
Ordained Priest, 02 JUN 2001; Ordained Deacon, 27 JAN 2001; MA - Dogmatic/Systematic Theology; MDiv - Professional Degree from Seminary; 2-Years formation with Canons Regular of Premontre including studies and experience in Sacred Liturgy, Chant, Latin, Sacraments, Spirituality. BA - Scholastic/Thomistic Philosophy; BA - Liberal Arts; AA - General Studies.

Past/Present Clients
I serve 3-small, rural Parish Communities in Easter North Dakota
I converted to the Roman Catholic Church in 1981, at the age of 15. Over the years I have done work as an organist, cantor, and choir director for the Latin Rite (English & Latin) Mass (Liturgy of the Eucharist), and even for the Hours of the Divine Office. I have worked as a cantor for a Melkite Byzantine Catholic Church. Presently my pastoral and administrative duties as a Catholic Priest do not allow me as much time as I used to have to devote to Sacred Music; but for my weekend Masses and Solemnities within my Tri-Parish, I offer High Sung Mass in English. Weekday Mass is typically Low Mass (recited Mass) in English, though on occasion I will offer the "Tridentine Mass" in Latin, which I usually offer on my "Day Off", as well. And now, in light of the "Motu Proprio" by his Holiness, Pope Benedict XVI placing the extraordinary usage of the Roman Rite back into the mainstream of the Catholic Church, I have been offering a regularly scheduled SUN, 2:00 PM Tridentine Latin Mass with a community of the faithful that has a stable existence.

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