A newly launched Catholic group is seeking to apply the Church’s teachings to the topic of animal welfare in order to counteract the “needless suffering” of animals and underscore the “inherent value” they hold.
“I believe most Catholics would be surprised, as I was, to learn about the extent of preventable animal suffering in our world today,” Kristin Dunn, the founder of the Saint Francis Institute for Animals, told EWTN News.
The group launched in March and is promoting community outreach and parish partnerships in order to spread its message. It also offers a guided 30-day program of “reflections, readings, short videos, and exercises” meant to introduce Catholics to the topic of animal welfare.
Dunn said she began learning more about animal welfare more than a decade ago. She “loved dogs,” she said, but had given “very little thought to other animals.”
Her growing awareness of the issue was bolstered by works such as Pope Francis’ encyclical Laudato Si’, which, as part of its reflections on the environment, criticized the “indifference or cruelty” humans often show toward animals.
Dunn also pointed to Catholic writer Matthew Scully’s 2003 book “Dominion,” which criticized “the many ways our society has turned its gaze away from animals” and allowed animal suffering to flourish.
“It’s something I’ve felt called to start for the past decade, since learning about the issues, realizing how connected they are to my Catholic values, and knowing that other Catholics could make a tremendous impact with increased awareness,” Dunn said.
The group has thus far drawn funding from small donors and has received pro-bono legal support and design assistance. Since the launch, “many Catholics have reached out sharing that they’ve hoped for something like this, which has been extremely encouraging,” Dunn said.
‘Not to hurt our humble brethren’
The institute is named for St. Francis of Assisi, who lived during the High Middle Ages and who became famous for his exhortations to treat animals kindly and respectfully.
Catholic theologians throughout the centuries have not always evinced such concern for animals. St. Augustine, for instance, largely dismissed objections to animal suffering in part by arguing that animals are “nonrational” and “do not share the use of reason with us.”
St. Francis, on the other hand, argued strongly for including animals within the human moral framework. He famously wrote that “if you have men who will exclude any of God’s creatures from the shelter of compassion and pity, you will have men who will deal likewise with their fellow men.”
“Not to hurt our humble brethren is our first duty to them,” the saint wrote, though he advised that “to stop there is not enough” and that we must “be of service to them wherever they require it.”
Pope Francis echoed those sentiments in his landmark 2015 encyclical Laudato Si’. In the document he also pointed to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, which, while arguing that it is “legitimate to use animals for food and clothing,” stipulates that it is “contrary to human dignity to cause animals to suffer or die needlessly.”
The Vatican also regularly recognizes the importance of animals within creation through a yearly blessing of the animals in St. Peter’s Square.
“God cherishes his creation. He cares for the animals, the plants, because these create the conditions for life to continue and flourish, especially intelligent life, the life of humankind,” Cardinal Mauro Gambetti said last year during the blessing.
Many animal advocates over the centuries have opted for vegetarianism or veganism in order to avoid any use of animals for food or other materials.
In the modern era, meanwhile, many consumers concerned about animal welfare have opted for “humane” agricultural options such as pasture-based farms rather than the intensive factory-style animal farming from which most meat comes.
Dunn said the Saint Francis Institute is “encouraging people to learn about factory farming, given what so many animals endure and given the urgent need for change.”
“Our focus is on choosing plant-based foods to make the greatest impact for animals, and, within that, to take the first step,” she said.
Among its other outreach efforts, “we’re focused on building partnerships with parishes to share practical, meaningful ways to protect God’s creatures,” Dunn said.
“We can advise on straightforward changes they can make to be more animal-friendly, coordinate talks with animal experts, provide our printed brochures, and explore other ways to work together,” she said.
Dunn said those uncertain of how to start advocating on behalf of animals should “learn about who the animals are — how smart, sensitive, and gentle they are.”
“For example, most people don’t know that pigs are known to be as intelligent as dogs. How can we treat them so differently?” she said.
She quoted Pope Francis, who in Laudato Si’ wrote that if humans “feel intimately united with all that exists, then sobriety and care will well up spontaneously.”
Learning about animals, Dunn said, “follows the example set by St. Francis, who saw each creature as an individual worthy of love and care.”
New Catholic group seeks ‘a kinder world for all animals’ through Church teaching – #Catholic –
A newly launched Catholic group is seeking to apply the Church’s teachings to the topic of animal welfare in order to counteract the “needless suffering” of animals and underscore the “inherent value” they hold.
“I believe most Catholics would be surprised, as I was, to learn about the extent of preventable animal suffering in our world today,” Kristin Dunn, the founder of the Saint Francis Institute for Animals, told EWTN News.
The group launched in March and is promoting community outreach and parish partnerships in order to spread its message. It also offers a guided 30-day program of “reflections, readings, short videos, and exercises” meant to introduce Catholics to the topic of animal welfare.
Dunn said she began learning more about animal welfare more than a decade ago. She “loved dogs,” she said, but had given “very little thought to other animals.”
Her growing awareness of the issue was bolstered by works such as Pope Francis’ encyclical Laudato Si’, which, as part of its reflections on the environment, criticized the “indifference or cruelty” humans often show toward animals.
Dunn also pointed to Catholic writer Matthew Scully’s 2003 book “Dominion,” which criticized “the many ways our society has turned its gaze away from animals” and allowed animal suffering to flourish.
“It’s something I’ve felt called to start for the past decade, since learning about the issues, realizing how connected they are to my Catholic values, and knowing that other Catholics could make a tremendous impact with increased awareness,” Dunn said.
The group has thus far drawn funding from small donors and has received pro-bono legal support and design assistance. Since the launch, “many Catholics have reached out sharing that they’ve hoped for something like this, which has been extremely encouraging,” Dunn said.
‘Not to hurt our humble brethren’
The institute is named for St. Francis of Assisi, who lived during the High Middle Ages and who became famous for his exhortations to treat animals kindly and respectfully.
Catholic theologians throughout the centuries have not always evinced such concern for animals. St. Augustine, for instance, largely dismissed objections to animal suffering in part by arguing that animals are “nonrational” and “do not share the use of reason with us.”
St. Francis, on the other hand, argued strongly for including animals within the human moral framework. He famously wrote that “if you have men who will exclude any of God’s creatures from the shelter of compassion and pity, you will have men who will deal likewise with their fellow men.”
“Not to hurt our humble brethren is our first duty to them,” the saint wrote, though he advised that “to stop there is not enough” and that we must “be of service to them wherever they require it.”
Pope Francis echoed those sentiments in his landmark 2015 encyclical Laudato Si’. In the document he also pointed to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, which, while arguing that it is “legitimate to use animals for food and clothing,” stipulates that it is “contrary to human dignity to cause animals to suffer or die needlessly.”
The Vatican also regularly recognizes the importance of animals within creation through a yearly blessing of the animals in St. Peter’s Square.
“God cherishes his creation. He cares for the animals, the plants, because these create the conditions for life to continue and flourish, especially intelligent life, the life of humankind,” Cardinal Mauro Gambetti said last year during the blessing.
Many animal advocates over the centuries have opted for vegetarianism or veganism in order to avoid any use of animals for food or other materials.
In the modern era, meanwhile, many consumers concerned about animal welfare have opted for “humane” agricultural options such as pasture-based farms rather than the intensive factory-style animal farming from which most meat comes.
Dunn said the Saint Francis Institute is “encouraging people to learn about factory farming, given what so many animals endure and given the urgent need for change.”
“Our focus is on choosing plant-based foods to make the greatest impact for animals, and, within that, to take the first step,” she said.
Among its other outreach efforts, “we’re focused on building partnerships with parishes to share practical, meaningful ways to protect God’s creatures,” Dunn said.
“We can advise on straightforward changes they can make to be more animal-friendly, coordinate talks with animal experts, provide our printed brochures, and explore other ways to work together,” she said.
Dunn said those uncertain of how to start advocating on behalf of animals should “learn about who the animals are — how smart, sensitive, and gentle they are.”
“For example, most people don’t know that pigs are known to be as intelligent as dogs. How can we treat them so differently?” she said.
She quoted Pope Francis, who in Laudato Si’ wrote that if humans “feel intimately united with all that exists, then sobriety and care will well up spontaneously.”
Learning about animals, Dunn said, “follows the example set by St. Francis, who saw each creature as an individual worthy of love and care.”
The Saint Francis Institute wants to mitigate “needless suffering” on the part of both wild and domestic animals.
