The Problem of the Pastor’s Dog
GUEST COLUMN
An owner treats his dog like family. Both live together in a bond of great intimacy and affection.
Priestly dog ownership raises a trifling but ticklish question: Should a pastor house his dog in the rectory? Moral theologian Francis J. Connell, C.SS.R., replies with an equivocal “yes and no.”
Neither divine law nor the general law of the Church forbids a priest from owning a domesticated carnivorous canine. The propriety of using the rectory as a dog house is, however, an arguable point.
Bishops rarely lay down rules regarding a priest’s in-house pets. On this topic, Canon Law is silent. Holy Writ mentions the dog over 40 times, but mostly in terms of contempt and aversion — e.g., “As a dog returns to his vomit, so a fool returns to his folly” (Prov. 26:11) and “Do not give dogs what is holy” (Mt. 7:16).
You May Also Enjoy
According to Planned Parenthood, abortion can be “a positive experience.” Children must be taught not…
Since materialism denies the reality of an Intelligent Designer of nature, there is no extrinsic source for a moral code either.
Justice Ginsburg, a powerful abortion advocate, has been working for 20 years to reduce those populations she doesn't "want to have too many of."