Every act of cruelty towards any creature is contrary to human dignity

By John Di Leonardo

It has been one month since the passing of Pope Francis. Born Jorge Mario Bergoglio, Pope Francis was a Jesuit – a religious order of the Roman Catholic Church, also known as the Society of Jesus – and the leader of the Catholic Church from March 2013 until April 2025. He chose the papal name Francis after Saint Francis of Assisi, the patron saint of animals.  

Saint Francis was known to preach to animals, addressing them as his brothers and sisters; and warning “If you have men who will exclude any of God's creatures from the shelter of compassion and pity, you will have men who will deal likewise with their fellow men.”  

Like his namesake, Pope Francis echoed this message when he said, “We have only one heart, and the same wretchedness which leads us to mistreat an animal will not be long in showing itself in our relationships with other people. Every act of cruelty towards any creature is contrary to human dignity.”  

As an anthrozoologist, I know that the link between animal abuse and violence toward humans has been well-documented by medical experts, police officials, and the FBI, as well as investigator Gail Eisnitz in her book Slaughterhouse: The Shocking Story of Greed, Neglect, and Inhumane Treatment Inside the U.S. Meat Industry as far back as the 1990s. 

But as a graduate of a Franciscan college and a Jesuit university, I know that Genesis – the very first chapter of the very first book in the Roman Catholic bible – taught this lesson much sooner.  

Most Christians have heard Genesis 1:28 – the oft-quoted “dominion” verse – shamelessly used to justify animal abuse. But that interpretation doesn’t match the next two verses: “Then God said, ‘I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food. And to all the beasts of the earth and all the birds in the sky and all the creatures that move along the ground – everything that has the breath of life in it – I give every green plant for food.’ And it was so.”  

God’s perfect creation was ... vegan. As Matthew Scully, Christian speechwriter to the likes of George Bush and Sarah Palin, makes clear in his book Dominion, humans are meant to be creation’s stewards, not its destroyers. Throughout the Bible, we see Jesus’ compassion. In Matthew 25:40, Jesus says, “Whatever you do unto the least among my brothers and sisters, you do as unto me.” And as my friends at PETA have pointed out, the commandment “though shalt not kill” doesn’t have an “only humans” caveat.  

In honor of Pope Francis and his namesake Saint Francis of Assisi, I invite readers of all faiths to make an Anuvrat – or small vow – to read Dominion or watch Christspiracy (by the directors of Cowspiracy, What the Health, and Seaspiracy) at Christspiracy.com and learn what agribusiness (and the streaming platform that tried to kill the film) doesn’t want us to know about our responsibility for our fellow brothers and sisters in creation.

(Photo courtesy of the author) 

John Di Leonardo is the founding director of Humane Long Island. He was previously the Senior Manager of Grassroots Campaigns and Animals in Entertainment Campaigns for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA). He has a Master's degree in Anthrozoology from Canisius College. He also earned a graduate certificate in Jain Studies from the International School of Jain Studies (ISJS) in India. John can be reached at [email protected].