Animals: Tradition - Philosophy - Religion Article used with permission from All-Creatures.org

A report on the successful delivery of the letter asking the Vatican to develop updated teachings on human-animal relationships to Pope Leo at the "Raising Hope for Climate Justice" conference on October 1^st.

Letter from Christian Animal Advocacy and Protection Organizations Delivered to Pope Leo XIV
Press Release From Virginia Bell
October 2025

Images from Canva

CHRISTIAN ANIMAL ADVOCACY AND PROTECTION ORGANIZATIONS SIGN LETTER TO POPE LEO XIV URGING AN OVERDUE UPDATE ON THE CHURCH'S TEACHING ON HUMAN–ANIMAL RELATIONS.

The attached letter was handed personally to Pope Leo by a Laudato Si' Movement official, on behalf of Barbara Niedźwiedzka who was representing the signatories, as he was leaving the conference room at Castel Gandolfo on 1st October 2025.

The event where this took place was the international conference "Raising Hope for Climate Justice," held at Castel Gandolfo on October 1st – 3rd, 2025. The event was organised by Laudato Si' Movement, in partnership with CIDSE (International Cooperation for Development and Solidarity) and its member organizations, along with various other Catholic groups.

The conference marked the 10th anniversary of the papal Encyclical Laudato Si' and was opened by Pope Leo. It brought together leaders from faith, science, and politics to discuss the need for environmental action and ecological justice.

The letter's signatories, now approximately 500, believe that a compassionate teaching on human–animal relationships, rooted in Scripture and Tradition and updated according to present scientific knowledge, is urgently needed to address widespread cruelty, environmental degradation, and climate crisis.

The letter states:

“We earnestly appeal to Your Holiness to open in the Church a new chapter of moral reflection and teaching that will include animals within the circle of compassion and justice. Just as the Church has played an important role in advancing environmental protection, now it has a chance to lead in healing our relationship with animals. 'The whole of creation waits with eager longing for the children of God to be revealed' (Romans 8:19).” “We respectfully request that Your Holiness establish a commission of theologians, ethicists, scientists, and other relevant experts to explore this issue in depth and to develop updated Catholic teaching on human–animal relationships that reflects contemporary scientific knowledge and will help shape people into the image of a loving and compassionate God.”

Images credit Barbara Niedźwiedzka.

Further information from Barbara Niedźwiedzka - [email protected]

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Posted on All-Creatures.org: October 13, 2025
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