Lent is the perfect time to show compassion to all sentient beings. That’s why PETA LAMBS has asked Catholic cardinals who lead U.S. archdioceses to encourage their flocks to abstain from eating animals during Lent and to celebrate a vegan Good Friday, or Good Vriday, by choosing foods that are kind to all animals—including those who swim.
Letters were sent to Cardinal Blase J. Cupich, Archbishop of Chicago; Cardinal Daniel DiNardo, Archbishop of Galveston-Houston; Cardinal Seán Patrick O’Malley, Archbishop of Boston; Cardinal Wilton Gregory, Archbishop of Washington, D.C.; and Cardinal Joseph W. Tobin, Archbishop of Newark. PETA Germany and PETA U.K. also sent letters to German and Irish Catholic Church leaders, respectively.
In the eyes of God, every individual deserves to live free from harm, yet fish used for food are violently killed. We’re calling on these faith leaders to inspire their flocks to leave all animals off their plates.
Genesis 1:29 states that God provides “every seed-breading plant” and “every tree whose fruit contains seed” as food for humans—not animals.
“God said, ‘See, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit; you shall have them for food.”
—Genesis 1:29
Fish are intelligent and sensitive beings who feel pain and don’t want to die. They pass down knowledge, have cultural traditions, and “talk” to one another using low-frequency sounds that human ears can’t hear. Some woo potential mates by singing to them or creating intricate works of art. Researchers have even found that fish can learn to drive cars on land.
However, more fish are killed for food each year than all other animals combined. They’re impaled, crushed, suffocated, or cut open and gutted, often while they’re completely conscious. And it’s not just the “target” fish like salmon and tuna who suffer for humans’ demand for “seafood”—turtles, dolphins, and other marine animals make up the 38 million tons of aquatic animals who are unintentionally caught each year.
Our meatless meals and free vegan starter kit make it easy to go vegan for Good Friday and keep it up even after the season is over.
