I refer to the ICABS - which is short for the ‘Irish Council Against
Blood Sports’. This is due to the fact that they have not only
criticised a minority of priests who delight in furthering blood sports,
but they have also appealed to their spiritual superiors to intervene
and openly oppose such barbaric practices that are inflicted upon
helpless animals. Indeed, I am regrettably only too well aware of the
fact that some priests have even partaken in bullfights within Spain,
and that a former archbishop viewed such horrendous scenes with glee!
And unfortunately, this can actually be understood when such a church
has openly taught that an animal has no soul! Yes, that when they are
dead that is the end of them! No surprise then that a former archbishop
of Milan – a fellow called Battisi – affirmed in January 1989, to the
utter shock of so many of the faithful, that ‘one cannot sin, in the
real sense of the term, against an animal as such a creature has no
soul’.
Yes, and before you might be tempted to think that I as an Anglican
clergyman am using this as an opportunity to get a dig at Roman
Catholicism I would simply add that Catholicism is not the sole culprit
here. The college through which I graduated for entrance into the
Anglican ministry – ‘Wycliffe Hall of the University of Oxford’ – has
now, as ‘Lecturer in Spirituality’, a lady quite recently married to a
cleric proud to be known as ‘The Hunting Parson’. No offence to her, but
then wonders do not cease here! No single cleric has been branded Anti
Roman more than Northern Ireland’s Rev. Dr Ian Paisley. And though –
much to his credit - this man has been known to oppose blood sports; he
too - like the Catholicism he has opposed – has equally taught that
animals will have no place in Heaven. For him it is not the past
anthropocentric philosophy of Rome’s Scholasticism, which has programmed
him, but rather that of the Reformation’s past theological Calvinism.
Both antagonising extremes hold this one thing in common concerning
animals: when they die, they cease to exist!
Well, in common with extremes ranging from a Catholic Francis Of
Assisi to a Protestant John Wesley, I have no doubt myself concerning a
hereafter for our brethren in the animal kingdom. There are countless
scriptures to support such a view, from God’s rainbow covenant to His
heavenly throne
What is more, if I were to believe for one moment that this present
life on earth was the only life that animals were ever going to endure,
then – with only a minimum of any compassion left within my veins - I’d
surely feel compelled to make this present life for them as comfortable
as I possibly could! Consequently, how so called priests of God touched
upon, can derive pleasure from seeing hungry hares chased to their death
by hounds - or bulls stabbed, goaded and mutilated to their death -
utterly astounds me. I sense that only one thing is more sickening than
this. It is the horrifying reality that so called ‘spiritual
superiors’ within the churches hierarchy have become so degenerate and
void of compassion towards helpless subhuman life as to condone such
exploitation. Our Blessed Saviour said “To whom most has been given,
from them most will be required (at judgment day)”
My prayer is that God in His mercy will save us from degenerating in
to a similar icy callousness. One in which the human heart of flesh has
so sunk as to solidify into a rigor mortis of stone’. ‘Praise God!’ then
I say for organisations such as the ‘Irish Council For the Abolition of
Blood Sports’; the ‘Wales Against Animal Cruelty’ foundation; the
Scottish based Ethical Voice For Animals; and numerous English based
associations that are all speaking up for the plight of dumb animals.
Yes, while major churches of the UK would no more care ‘for a sheep that
had gone astray’ than would the table upon which my computer is based!
Indeed, as for the Scottish based Ethical Voice For Animals just
alluded to, that which follows is correspondence recently received from
them; plus my own reply to the sad sender. Yes, as well as to the church
in question!
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