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

CCA Chair’s Response to Pope Francis’ Comments on the Family and Companion Animals

From Chris Fegan, CEO, Catholic Concern for Animals (CCA)
January 2022

For many Catholics who love animals, 2022 started in an unexpected way as we were taken back by the remarks Pope Francis made on the 5th of January during his catechesis on Saint Joseph, when he stated that choosing not to have children and having cats and dogs instead, or to have only one child and multiple cats and dogs, is selfish and a denial of parenthood that diminishes us and takes away our humanity; he added that those who do not develop a sense of fatherhood or motherhood are lacking something important.

In response to these comments, CCA issued a statement expressing its concern that such remarks could discourage people from caring for animals as well as its support for those who dedicate their life to helping animals in need and open their homes to them. I am proud of the fact that CCA stood up for animals, as we always do; at the same time, I think Pope Francis’ statement warrants further reflection.

Writing in The Tablet, the international Catholic news weekly paper, Christopher Lamb admitted that Pope Francis might have worded his statement “in a more judicious manner” but defended the message behind the words, arguing that it questioned “a lifestyle of consumerist materialism that leaves no space for the sacrifice required in raising children”. As with many other aspects of life, animal guardianship may indeed reflect a lifestyle of consumeristic materialism, as exemplified by the commerce of fancy dog breeds, whose purpose is merely to satisfy anthropocentric requirements.

The first victims of such consumeristic materialism are the animals themselves, often bred, traded and kept like mere commodities, condemned to a life of deprivation that denies them the dignity of their species and the expression of their individuality.

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Please read the ENTIRE ARTICLE HERE.
 

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