Why doesn't the Pope have a pet?

[smoothrose]

I read the other day an article about Vatican workers accidentally digging up bones of an elephant that was a gift to a pope from long ago.

It reminded me about Pope Benedict... as much as I disagreed with him on a variety of issues, he was a big softie on animals and spoke out against factory farming and animal cruelty. He also fed a lot of the stray cats roaming around Rome but was not allowed to own a cat while he was Pope.

When did this rule come into place that denies Popes the joy of having a pet? There are many stories of popes owning exotic pets going back centuries. Did Pope Francis ever own a pet himself?

 

[Martinius]

First, I would assume that the "exotic pets" were gifts that never saw the inside of the Pope's living quarters. Second, I do not know if Francis ever had a pet. Of all the priests and bishops I have known over the years, I do not recall any that had a pet. Perhaps some have, but I would think it would be a relatively small number.

I also do not know of a "rule" that the pope cannot have a pet. If the Pope wanted one, he would get one. A cat would probably be the logical first choice, although a dog would be fine too. Maybe someone who knows the Vatican well could tell us if there are any animals kept as pets there, even if not by the pope himself.