Pope should excommunicate meat eaters
The meat industry is considered one of the main drivers of climate change. One kilogram of beef produces around 13.3 kilograms of CO2, while a kilogram of poultry and pork generates 3.5 and 3.3 kilograms respectively.
According to a new Cambridge study millions of tonnes of CO2 could be saved annually if the Pope were to reintroduce meat-free Fridays.
According to study lead Shaun Larcom, the Pope has repeatedly called for radical responses to climate change. The study was based on the 55’000 tonnes of greenhouse gases saved after the Bishops of England and Wales called for a return to meat-free Fridays in 2011.
Meat-free Friday is a traditional form of abstinence in the Catholic Church. It is rooted in the idea of making a sacrifice in reference to Good Friday, when Jesus Christ was crucified — for example through fasting from meat.
The meat industry is considered one of the main drivers of climate change. One kilogram of beef produces around 13.3 kilograms of CO2, while a kilogram of poultry and pork generates 3.5 and 3.3 kilograms respectively.
Charity is ostensibly held in high regard in the Catholic Church. Yet this charity should not stop short of future generations and non-human animals. Our children will soon suffer enormously from the climate catastrophe, which is significantly driven by our consumption of animal products. Millions of animals suffer under systematic exploitation in agricultural livestock farming: they are deprived of their freedom, mutilated, and slaughtered. The more than one billion Catholics worldwide should no longer place human life above animal life, but instead return to the foundation of their faith: Thou shalt not kill! We call on Pope Francis to take a first step by reintroducing the tradition of meat-free Fridays — and to consistently reject the consumption of all animal products on that day. In this way, the head of the Church could spare millions of so-called ‘farm animals' spare from unnecessary suffering and simultaneously contribute to a livable future for people of all faiths by mitigating the climate catastrophe. Furthermore, the Pontifex Maximus could certainly exercise strictness and threaten disobedient Catholics with excommunication should they reach for animal products on Fridays. Anyone who truly wishes to abide by the fifth commandment of the Christian God, preserve creation, and consistently practice charity should follow a purely plant-based diet and embrace a vegan lifestyle.
Daniel Cox, Campaign Team Leader at PETA Deutschland e.V.
