Remo Casilli/Reuters
After it was widely reported this week that Pope Francis said there was a heaven for our pets,the Vatican post the kibosh on the heartwarming, but apparently false, viral story. The Vatican issued a statement denouncing the reports that the Pope said animals go to heaven. "There is a fundamental rule in journalism. That is double-checking, and in this case it was not done," said Vatican's deputy spokesman, Father Ciro Benedettini. It turns out, Pope Francis' remarks last month were misquoted after an Italian paper ran the headline: "The pope and animals. 'paradise is open to all creatures.'" The Pope has not made a formal declaration about animals and the afterlife, but "it is clear that he is in spiritual harmony with all of creation,” said Benedettini.