Please use this letter to send to the Pope by adding your name underneath my signature

( Elissa Rattigan)  or write your own polite letter to him regarding the same subject.

The email address is

papafrancesco01@gmail.com

Please also sign the petition just below this letter.

Dear Your Holiness Pope Francis,

I am pleased to hear that, having taken your papal name in honour of St. Francis of Assisi, you are making it your mission to help the poor. However, St. Francis is known also for his equally passionate stance on the rights of all creatures, animals, insects, fish, plants, Mother Earth and the other planets alike. He took this further by promoting not only our kindness to, but protection of, all living things.

“Not to hurt our humble brethren is our first duty to them, but to stop there is not enough.

We have a higher duty – to be of service to them, whenever they require it.”

St Francis of Assisi. 1181-1226.

As the true humane , Essene Jesus before him, Francis was probably one of the first animal liberationists, having saved lambs from slaughter. I would hope to be sure that having chosen his name-sake, you will , inspired by his compassion, be an instrument of the Great Spirit of God and saviour of billions of animals who face misery, torture and pain in farms, slaughterhouses, laboratories, etc., by your living and promoting veganism .

By many following your example and adopting a vegan diet, benefits will be brought to human health, starving nations and the planet, itself.

“Livestock is the main driver of de-forestation.

Livestock is the largest single source of water pollution.

Livestock produces more green-house gases than all the world-wide transportation combined.”

United Nations “Livestocks’ Long Shadow” 2006.

“Meat consumption is an inefficient use of grain”

”…the grain is used more efficiently when consumed by humans. Continued growth in meat output is dependent on feeding grain to animals, creating competition for grain between affluent meat-eaters and the world’s poor.”

Worldwatch Institute.

“A piece of land the size of five football pitches can feed only two people fed on meat. But it can feed ten people on maize, twenty four people on grains or sixty one on soya.”

Viva.

I know other bodies have written to you regarding the above and have submitted films such as “Earthlings” which show the extent of mans’ cruelty to animals so I have no need to do the same. I will just add that we see you as the one person able to have influence in this regard over, at least, the many catholics throughout the world. Just think of the difference you could make with that power. We await with baited breath as there has never in many generations been an opportunity like this. We thank you in advance.

Now I turn to matters essentially Catholic, celebrated by your priests and which I would like you to deal with without delay. I speak of those fiestas which are surely the work of evil force  where bulls have their horns set alight and are then chased through the streets by gleeful people and clergy and of the pitiful spectacles of live goats being thrown from belfry tops, again sanctioned by the Church. Surely this is something you could ban straight away as a matter of priority. Thank you.

With hope and faith in you,

on behalf of our fellow creatures with whom we are one with God,

Elissa Rattigan.