Action Would Make St. Francis—Patron Saint of Animals—Proud, Says Group
For Immediate Release:
March 20, 2013
Contact:
Kaitlynn Kelly 202-483-7382
PETA has sent a letter to newly elected Pope Francis asking him to pay homage to his namesake, St. Francis of Assisi, the patron saint of animals, and ban factory-farmed meat, eggs, and dairy products from the Vatican and serve primarily (and eventually all) meat-free meals. In the letter, PETA points out that St. Francis recognized animals as fellow beings created by the same God. PETA also reminds Pope Francis that his two immediate predecessors, Pope Benedict XVI and Pope John Paul II, strongly condemned the abuse of animals.
"Today's factory farms are a living hell for chickens, pigs, cows, and other animals," says PETA Director of Communications Colleen O'Brien, a devout Roman Catholic. "Jesus would be appalled to witness the meat, egg, and dairy industries' harmful effects on animals and human health. We urge Pope Francis to make the Vatican the pinnacle of the stand against these injustices."
In today's industrialized meat and dairy industries, chickens and turkeys often have their throats cut while they are still conscious, piglets' tails and testicles are cut off without any painkillers, fish suffocate or are cut open while still alive on the decks of fishing boats, and calves are taken away from their mothers within hours of birth.
For more information, please visit PETA.org.
PETA's letter to Pope Francis follows.
His Holiness, Pope Francis I
The Vatican
Your Holiness:
Congratulations on your election to pope this week. As a lifelong Catholic, I watched with bated breath as the historic announcement was made and was thrilled to see you take the revered name of St. Francis as your papal title, in homage to St. Francis of Assisi. My colleagues at PETA and I have always been inspired by St. Francis' lifelong devotion to compassionate service. He is, of course, well known for his reverence for animals. You expressed this beautifully yesterday when you said that following our God-given call as "protectors" means "protecting all creation, the beauty of the created world, as the Book of Genesis tells us and as Saint Francis of Assisi showed us. It means respecting each of God's creatures and respecting the environment in which we live." That is why I am writing to encourage you to take steps to veganize the Vatican by making sure that no factory-farmed meat, eggs, and dairy products are served there. This change would set a wonderful, important, and humane example of true compassion for all God's creatures.
As you know well, there is a long precedent for treating animals with respect in the Catholic faith, from St. Francis to Christ's message in the Sermon on the Mount: "Blessed are the merciful." In today's factory-farming industry, in which chickens are crammed together with thousands of others inside dark sheds reeking of ammonia, fish suffer excruciating decompression when pulled from the water and separated from their oxygen source, and cows and pigs are routinely mutilated without painkillers, there is nothing merciful about the ways in which animals are killed for food. Your last two predecessors both spoke out strongly against cruelty to animals. The Catechism of the Catholic Church, as promulgated by Pope John Paul II, states, "Animals are God's creatures. … Thus men owe them kindness. We should recall the gentleness with which saints like St. Francis of Assisi or St. Philip Neri treated animals. … It is contrary to human dignity to cause animals to suffer or die needlessly." Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI echoed this sentiment, saying, "[W]e cannot just do whatever we want with [animals]. Animals, too, are God's creatures …. Certainly, a sort of industrial use of creatures [wherein] hens live so packed together that they become just caricatures of birds … seems to me in fact to contradict the relationship of mutuality that comes across in the Bible." By banning factory-farmed animal products and having as many meat-free meals as possible, you will be sending a strong message to Christ's followers around the world: We must be the hands of our Lord and His loving heart, feeding the poor and showing compassion and mercy to all God's creatures. Thank you, Holy Father, for considering this plea.
Respectfully yours,
Colleen O'Brien
Senior Director of
Communications
PETA