„Nadzieja nowego nieba i nowej ziemi”. Katolicka eschatologia a świat zwierzęcy

Abstract

The article considers the place of animals in Christian eschatology. Everyday dealings with dead animals may domesticate death again, but it is essential to ask whether the physical death of an animal is its absolute end. It is a fundamental question for Christians, for it evokes anxiety and urges us to think about our salvation. The author searches for the answer mainly in the Catechism of the Catholic Church, which contains the basic principles of the Church related to faith and morality. By interpreting the words from the Catechism referring to eschatology and the Last Judgment, the author explains the issue of the animals’ resurrection in the context of the resurrection of the world. The natural environment is to be restored after the Second Coming of Christ, which means that the resurrection refers to animals as well. However, another question arises: will the resurrection refer to only one species, all the animals or only the chosen ones?