Pope Speaks for Farm Animals

During his visit to the U.S. Pope Benedict XVI expressed his vision and compassion for all beings, including and particularly of farm animals. PETA has been in close communication with the Vatican about the welfare and exploitation of livestock for as early as the previous Pope. In his speech he said:

“Animals, too, are God’s creatures, and even if they do not have the same direct relation to God that man has, they are creatures of his will, creatures we must respect as companions in creation.”

Farm animals endure extreme cruelty, especially in America. As they are bred for consumption, factory farm industry workers often do not view them as living, breathing, feeling animals, and therefore treat them as objects that could be tortured, controlled, and killed without anesthesia. Cows live in stagnate positions in farms in their own filth for months and years. Their journeys to the slaughterhouse is atrocious, in assembly, with their throats cut, electrocuted, their heads bashed in order to stunned them. Often they die painfully and slowly while being butchered. Pigs live their entire lives in crates so small they cannot move and develop sores. Piglets are pulled from their mothers so early—they are castrated, branded without drugs, and also killed unmercifully. Among these are many other like veal, chickens, lambs (for wool) that suffer needlessly. It’s bad enough we eat them, the least we could do is show a little decency.

We are what we eat. The more suffering an animal endures, the higher the chance it is sick and bad for consumption. Think about it. If you must eat meat, avoid veal and go organic where animals receive kinder treatments, free of radicals and antibiotics, and have had better lives in roaming free.
For more information: visit PETA or Farm Santuary.

Filed under: animal cruelty, farm animals, humane organizations, compassion, cows, farm animals, Farm Sanctuary, livestock, meat comsumption, peta, pigs, pope