Did Pope Francis really say animals can go to heaven? It appears not. But he seems to enjoy being around them. As did his two predecessors. Below, photos of popes with lions and lambs, and even a slithering serpent.
A priest distributes Communion to soldiers during World War II in Russia. In a joint ecumenical service May 8, 2020, marking the 75th anniversary of the end of World War II, Christian churches in Germany issued a call for a commitment to work for peace. (Credit: CNS photo/KNA.)
Henry David Thoreau. (Credit: Stock image.)
An Orthodox icon of the Blessed Virgin Mary with the child Jesus. (Credit: Stock image.)
Three Catholic priests and a Lutheran pastor from the northern German city of Lubeck were executed by the Nazis Nov. 10, 1943. The three Catholic martyrs, pictured clockwise from bottom left, are Blesseds Eduard Mueller, Johannes Prassek and Hermann Lange. The Rev. Karl Friedrich Stellbrink is pictured at bottom, right. (Credit: CNS photo.)
An earlier version of this gallery cited information from the New York Times article that has since been corrected.