Why animal welfare and faith go together (ask Saint Francis!)
Faith and animal welfare go together, that’s if you really follow your faith. All creatures deserve protection, and all religious texts say this.
Saint Francis of Assisi (above) was a real party boy in Italy, before giving up his wealthy lifestyle, to become patron saint of animals and ecology.
Yet Vatican City rents out a building to McDonald’s for 30,000 Euros a month, despite it causing harm to both animals and the planet. And won’t denounce bullfights, due to income from Catholic countries like Mexico.
Nonprofits that blend faith with animal welfare
- Catholic Concern for Animals is a charity concerned with animal welfare issues, with its own magazine The Ark about the latest issues worldwide. It also offers free animal welfare education resources.
- Creature Kind offers a downloadable six-week course, and Friendly Food Challenge Toolkit, to encourage plant-based meals at Christian camps.
- Anglian Society for the Welfare of Animals offers an annual award for animal-friendly churches, online sermons and a free magazine . Free resources are also at Animal Welfare Sunday service.
- Compassion in World Farming is staffed by vets who want bans on religious slaughter, replaced by alternative methods of slaughter (it’s fine for people following Jewish or Islamic to be vegan).
Books on animal-friendly faith
Franciscan Field Guide is an overview of the Franciscan arm of the Catholic church, influenced by St Francis of Assisi. His close friend St Clare of Assisi also loved animals.
Saint Kevin And the Blackbird is a child’s re-telling of a little-known story of a Celtic saint. One morning, Kevin the monk is praying and thanking the Creator for otters and larks, by the rocky shore of Glendalough monastery.
A blackbird lands in his cupped hands, to build a nest. The story goes (supported by other monks) that he remained motionless until the fledglings safely hatched and left the nest (about two weeks).
Ban bullfighting (join the worldwide campaign)
Pope Leo is yet to denounce bullfighting, although many have asked him to.
Bulls are obviously male cows, with much thicker muscles and heads. They actually can’t see the colour ‘red’, this is just for show for the matador. They are intelligent animals that love to play, and also dislike loud noises. So you can imagine the stress of a baying crowd in a bullring.
Here at England, Naturally – we know that you don’t want to be distressed by gory images, so rest assured you won’t see any in this post. But bullfighting is absolutely horrific (bulls are chased around by a matador while they fight for their lives). Then are stabbed several times, their spinal cord is often severed, and some even drown in their own blood.
Some countries even ‘injure the bull’, which is then left to suffer overnight, before being killed in an abattoir the next day. And all this, due to a baying mob of spectators, cheering on the matador. For ‘fun’.
Bullfighting is not ‘just a Spanish tradition’
Many cities in Spain have now banned bullfights on animal welfare grounds. 77% of Spaniards oppose bullfighting.
Support is mostly from UK and North American tourists. So boycott firms that promote bullfights abroad.
The Pamplona Running of the Bills is held each year, where thousands of people run in front of six bulls for half a mile through the city, on the way to the bullring (the bulls are then killed).
Just like Siena’s Running of the Horses in Italy (made to look glamorous in a James Bond film), there are huge welfare concerns.
Bullfighting is far less popular today
League Against Cruel Sports is our main campaigner against this awful event. Today things have moved on, and nearly all people in the UK would never attend a bullfight. It’s a mystery why in the 70s British people ever did, as we are known as an animal-batty nation.
Bullfighting now only occurs in 9 countries (but that’s enough to harm tens of thousands of innocent bulls). It still continues in Spain, Portugal, France, Mexico (banned in a few states), Peru, Ecuador, Colombia and Venezuela.
And surprisingly, the USA (so-called ‘bloodless bullfighting) where modified spears simulate ‘stabbing’ (it’s still tormenting and scaring an animal, in front of thousands of jeering spectators).
Lack of patronage and protests (often by Spaniards) has led to bullfighting being banned in over 100 Spanish towns, Catalonia and in the Canary Islands.
Join them in emailing companies that promote bullfights in travel brochures or in-flight magazines or on websites.
TV show Strictly Come Dancing often has couples performing the Paso Doble, which imitates a matador and bull. Obviously this is not comparable with a real bullfight. But Julian Clary did not wish to perform it, when he appeared as a contestant, in case it glamorised the event.
Pope Pius V (banned bullfights for Catholics)
Pope Saint Pius by Bartolomeo Passarotti
Recently, Pope Leo XIV was asked to condemn bullfights and ask Catholic countries to stop. But so far has refused.
Father Terry Martin (a Sussex priest) is a strong critic of bullfights, and even wrote a book on the subject.
Catholic Concern for Animals writes interestingly that back in 1567, Pope Saint Pius banned bullfighting (and all types of animal baiting) saying ‘these bloody exhibitions of devils rather than men’ should be abolished (and even deprived people who participated in bullfights of a Christian burial).
Several years ago, Catholic monks in Sussex were farming veal (calves fed iron-poor diets in tiny cages, before being exported as ‘white meat’). A couple of dairy farmers took them to court on welfare grounds.
They lost, but the farm closed due to protests. And the resulting change to the law (banning veal crates) was the first major victory for their new charity: Compassion in World Farming.
Does the EU financially support bullfights?
Yes, as its supports farms that are raising bulls for fights in Spain, Portugal and France. Through Common Agricultural Policy subsidies. It says it’s legally bound to fund farmers who raise livestock.
Despite Spain having its own animal welfare party which has passed laws to not leave dogs alone for a long time, banning tourist horse carriages and trying to ban greyhound racing.
