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Pope Francis is being urged to encourage Christians to eat vegan this Easter.
The supreme pontiff has received a letter from vegan charity PETA. It requests he makes ‘it clear to all that the ways in which animals are abused on factory farms and inside slaughterhouses in today’s meat industry are un-Christian’.
St. Francis of Paola
The charity cites St Francis of Paola who took a vow of non-violence, as part of which he refused to eat animal products.
“We are told that God rewarded Francis’ faith in Him with the gifts of prophecy, healing, and miracle-working,” the letter states.
“Often accompanied by a lamb he called Martinello, Francesco resurrected him after some workers stole him to eat him during the construction of the Monastery.
“For this reason, the saint is often depicted in the company of a lamb. St Francis of Paola and the Minims were some of the earliest ethical vegans”
Moreover, Mimi Bekhechi is PETA’s Vice President of International Programmes. She said: “‘Thou shalt not kill’ must extend to all animals, including the lambs who are slaughtered for Easter dinners.
“PETA is encouraging everyone to celebrate the resurrection with a merciful vegan meal that leaves God’s creation in peace.”
Pope Francis
Last month, the Pope announced the climate crisis may cause a ‘great flood’.
The religious figure made the comments in a book-length interview with Don Marco Pozza.
An excerpt has been published by Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera. It quotes the Pope saying: “The flood is the result of God’s wrath, the Bible says.
“He is a figure of God’s wrath, who according to the Bible has seen too many bad things and decides to erase humanity.
“The biblical one, according to experts, is a mythical tale. But myth is a form of knowledge. The flood is a historical tale, archaeologists say, because they found traces of a flood in their excavations.
“A great deluge, perhaps due to a rise in temperature and the melting of glaciers: what will happen now if we continue on the same path.”
