Bishop Desmond Tutu
Archbishop of Cape Town, Bishop of Anglican Church of Southern Africa
(1931 - )
"If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor."
"It is a kind of theological folly to suppose that God has made the entire world just for human beings, or to suppose that God is interested in only one of the millions of species that inhabit God’s good earth. Our dominion over animals is not supposed to be despotism. We are made in the image of God, yes, but God – in whose image we are made – is holy, loving, and just. We do not honour God by abusing other sentient creatures.”
"Even when faced with urgent human problems, we should not overlook the issue of justice to animals".
"I have seen firsthand how injustice gets overlooked when the victims are powerless or vulnerable, when they have no one to speak up for them and no means of representing themselves to a higher authority. Animals are in precisely that position. Unless we are mindful of their interests and speak out loudly on their behalf, abuse and cruelty go unchallenged."