Spanish contempt
I read with interest David Doble's letter (Does the Church care
for animals? January 31, 1995). I hope some priest will have the
guts to reply to his question for I myself ask the same thing!
How sad that Catholic countries are, as he so rightly says, top of
the league in animal cruelty. The Spanish priests have earned the
contempt of thousands of people.
Margaret Kelly (7/1/96)
For the sake of the animals
Letters in The Universe have recently drawn attention
to the fact that Catholic countries are top of the league in animal
cruelty.
It is worth noting that according to a 1992 article in the New
Scientist, 10 million animals a year are killed on the roads in
Spain, a country which also has one of the highest human accident rates
in Europe.
A Spanish bishop, Bishop Ciriaco Benavente, has called for a 'Traffic
Responsibility Day' in an effort to introduce a moral dimension to the
question of road safety. The bishop is responsible for the Apostolate of
the Road.
Meanwhile, we can perhaps remind ourselves of Gandhi's comments that
"the greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the
way its animals are treated".
On British roads, an average of eight deaths of horses occur every
week, according to the International League for the Protection of
Horses, Another source has suggested that a minimum of 30 million birds
are killed on Britain's roads every year.
Antony Porter Catholic Roadwatch (21/1/96)
See: The Universe debate (1995)
http://www.all-creatures.org/fol/let-1995universedebate.html
Pure greed is to blame
Thousands of cattle are about to be massacred as a direct result of
human greed. The impending holocaust is to do with money, compensation
and restoring public confidence because of the current BSE scare and has
little to do with the way we are treating farm animals.
We have condemned over 160,000 cows to suffer the terrible disease of
BSE by feeding them the remains of other herbivores. Now people are
dying from it too.
We're all part of God's creation and have a responsibility to care
for and respect our farm animals in accordance with their nature and not
treat them as mere units of production, with profit at all costs.
The Church's silence on this issue leaves me ashamed and dismayed.
Wanda Oberman (19/5/96)
Animal abuse: silence goes on
How long can our Church continue to remain silent on issues involving
animal abuse? The list is long, live exports, hunting, bull fighting,
factory farming, vivisection etc.
It is becoming increasingly difficult to ignore the claim that the
public are more morally aware and compassionate than the hierarchy of
the Catholic Church.
Until this question is addressed congregations will continue to
decline, and young people in particular will carry on shunning the faith
into which they have been brought up.
David P.J. Doble RGN,
(28/7/96)
Member of the Catholic Study Circle for Animal Welfare
Sacrificing blasphemy
I agree with Mr. Noble on the Church's silence over animal abuse.
However the Pope has spoken out about this and we who are the Church
must accept responsibility.
What sort of teaching goes on in 'Catholic' countries where animals
are sacrificed on Good Friday? What suffering this blasphemy must cause
the Creator! While the clergy may need a nudge in speaking out, we all
have free wills.
Joyce Ostick (11/8/96)
Sad tale of 'hypocrisy'
I read that a farmer was distressed when his ten day-old calves were
taken away for slaughter.
Just how hypocritical can farmers get? What about when the calves are
crowded into trucks and driven for miles to a dock for export overseas?
These calves for export will, if they are lucky, be slaughtered after a
long and horrific journey. But mostly, they will be put into veal
crates, chained up and left in total darkness, not even able to turn
round.
At least the calf cull is a quick end; not so the latter.
Meryl Tookaram (8/9/96)
Hon Sec, Catholic Study Circle for Animal Welfare, Arundel Branch
The Food of Love?
I'm dreaming of a vegetarian Christmas - no killing, no bloodshed,
just love. In excess of half a billion of our little brothers and
sisters in the animal kingdom will be butchered to satisfy the Christmas
Day blood-lust of the world's Christians!
How sad and ironic that the birthday of our gentle Lord Jesus, the
Prince of Love, is celebrated by the shedding of blood and the causing
of all the pain and suffering and terror that accompanies it.
I call on Christians to celebrate love with love.
H. Lancre (22/12/96)
Reproduced with thanks
Return to Letters