New L.A. Bishops Receive Vegan Gift Baskets From Jesus People for Animals

PETA’s Christian Outreach Division Asks Bishops to Follow Pope’s Call to Protect the Environment Through 30-Day Vegan Pledge

For Immediate Release:
July 30, 2015

Contact:
Lakisha Ridley 202-483-7382

Three congratulatory gift baskets packed with tasty vegan snacks are on their way from Jesus People for Animals, PETA’s Christian outreach division, to Joseph Brennan, David O’Connell, and Word on Fire host Robert Barron—the three new auxiliary bishops of Los Angeles. And in a letter sent to the new bishops this morning, Jesus People for Animals—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to eat”—encourages them to take PETA’s 30-day vegan pledge, an easy way to heed Pope Francis’ call to action to protect creation.

“From spewing carbon emissions into the air to guzzling up water and other natural resources, the meat industry takes a massive toll on the environment,” says PETA Senior Director Colleen O’Brien. “Pope Francis has called on us all to protect God’s creation—and Jesus People for Animals is encouraging Los Angeles’ new bishops to lead the way by choosing delicious vegan meals.”

For more information, please visit JesusPeopleForAnimals.com.

Jesus People for Animals’ letter to Bishops-Elect Joseph Brennan, David O’Connell, and Robert Barron follows.

July 30, 2015

Most Reverend Robert Barron
Most Reverend David O’Connell
Most Reverend Joseph Brennan

Auxiliary Bishops-Elect
Archdiocese of Los Angeles

Your Excellencies:

I am writing on behalf of Jesus People for Animals, PETA’s Christian outreach division, and as as a follower of Jesus to congratulate you on your new position as auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles and to urge you to use your new position of leadership to follow Pope Francis’ call to action to protect creation by taking our 30-day vegan pledge.

As you may know, the United Nations has stated that animal agriculture is “one of the top two or three most significant contributors to the most serious environmental problems, at every scale from local to global.” According to the Waterkeeper Alliance, “Concentrated animal feeding operations [have] severely poisoned our nation’s water resources.” Not only does animal agriculture pollute waterways, it also wastes enormous amounts of water. It takes about 2,500 gallons of water to produce 1 pound of meat and 1,000 gallons of water to produce 1 gallon of cow’s milk. In contrast, it takes only about 244 gallons of water to produce 1 pound of tofu and 50 gallons of water to produce 1 gallon of soy milk. According to the National Geographic Society, just one person can save 219,000 gallons of water simply by avoiding meat and dairy products. In fact, researchers at the University of Chicago have determined that switching to a vegan diet is more effective in combating climate change than switching to a hybrid car.

As you know, Christians have been called by God to protect creation, but raising and killing animals for food is a needless waste of dwindling resources that doesn’t represent responsible stewardship of the Earth. Just this past June, Pope Francis encouraged us with words of hope in his new encyclical, observing that “[h]uman beings, while capable of the worst, are also capable of rising above themselves, choosing again what is good, and making a new start.” We would love to have you dedicate at least 30 days to helping the environment and God’s creatures by eating vegan.

To help make your commitment not only kind but also delicious, we’ve sent a gift basket filled with plant-based goodies, including vegan meats, dairy-free cheese, and snacks as well as a couple of our favorite vegan cookbooks. May we please hear that you’ll pledge to go vegan for 30 days? We stand ready to assist you in any way that we can. Thank you for your consideration and for all the work you have done for the Kingdom.

Sincerely yours,

Taylor D. Radig
Christian Outreach and Engagement
JesusPeopleForAnimals.com