Pope Francis Inspired Billions to Treat All of Creation With Compassion

Pope Francis, who passed away on April 21, 2025, will be remembered for his humility and compassion for the poor and marginalized. For Pope Francis, “the least of these” included those not lucky enough to have been born human.

He was the first pope to take the name of St. Francis of Assisi, patron saint of all animals, who said, “Not to hurt our humble brethren is our first duty to them, but to stop there is not enough. We have a higher mission—to be of service to them wherever they require it.” Pope Francis urged humanity to view our fellow living beings as God’s creation, worthy of protection and respect—not tools to use and abuse.

In Laudato Si’, his exhaustive 2015 letter to the Catholic Church on caring for the environment, Pope Francis wrote, “Every act of cruelty towards any creature is ‘contrary to human dignity.’”

Boldly dispelling the false belief that “dominion” is a license to dominate, exploit, and abuse our fellow living beings, he explained, “We are not God.” … “[W]e must forcefully reject the notion that our being created in God’s image and given dominion over the earth justifies absolute domination over other creatures.”

In light of this, PETA and international PETA entities launched a campaign urging His Holiness to cut the Catholic Church’s ties with bullfighting and to condemn this torturous “entertainment.” These gruesome spectacles are often held “in honor” of Catholic saints and on holy days, including Easter. Many chapels stand adjacent to bullfighting arenas, and Roman Catholic priests often serve as official chaplains for bullfighters.

Before he died, Pope Francis was considering the pleas of PETA and kind people around the world to denounce bullfighting as a cruel spectacle, not a Christian pursuit. As we mourn his loss, we pray that his successor will keep Pope Francis’ compassion alive by doing exactly that.