Balloons in the Basilica?! PETA U.K. Urges Pope to Deflate Bullfighting
In stark contrast to Christ’s teachings of compassion and mercy, bullfighting celebrates the torture and slaughter of sentient bulls—so why is the Catholic Church still supporting these violent spectacles? While more people around the world are calling to ban bullfights—which is a misnomer, because bulls would never choose to participate in these bloodbaths—PETA U.K. is putting our faith in Pope Francis to condemn the despicable practice and cut the Catholic Church’s shameful ties with the bullfighting industry.
A Holy Balloonion?! PETA U.K. Sends a Message Straight to the Top in Behalf of Bulls
On the feast day of St. Francis of Assisi—the Catholic Church’s patron saint of animals—a PETA U.K. supporter entered the San Francesco a Ripa church in Rome and released helium balloons bearing the message “Honour St Francis: Condemn Bullfighting.” The balloons floated to the vaulted ceiling of the iconic site, where St. Francis resided during his visits to Pope Innocent III in Rome in the 13th century.
Priests’ blessings of matadors, who subject terrified bulls to agony before violently killing them, fly in the face of St. Francis’ teachings that all animals are brothers and sisters under God. PETA is calling on Pope Francis to live up to his namesake by denouncing bullfighting and ending the Church’s shameful affiliation with these unholy spectacles.
Torturing Bulls Is Anything but Christian
The Bible asks us to have empathy for all living, feeling beings, yet humans continue to torture and slaughter bulls in the name of saints. During a typical bullfight, a man on a horse drives lances into a bull’s back and neck before others plunge banderillas into his back. When the bull is too weak from blood loss to defend himself, the matador attempts to deliver the final blow by plunging a sword into the animal’s lungs. The bull may be conscious but paralyzed when he’s dragged out of an arena.
His Holiness Pope Francis wrote in his encyclical Laudato si’ that “every act of cruelty towards any creature is ‘contrary to human dignity.’” As far back as the 16th century, Pope Pius V—who has since been canonized—banned bullfights, which he described as “cruel” and contrary to “Christian piety and charity.” Yet Catholic priests officiate at religious ceremonies in bullfighting rings and even minister to bullfighters in chapels built inside arenas.
PETA U.K.’s Campaign to Urge Pope Francis to Protect Bulls
Holy Protest! Animal Defenders Make a Statement During Pope Francis’ Tour Through Luxembourg
September 26, 2024: During Pope Francis’ procession through Luxembourg City, PETA U.K. supporters joined the masses wearing shirts reading,“Stop Blessing Corridas!” and bearing signs proclaiming, “Bullfighting Is a Sin!” The animal defenders knelt in front of the pontiff’s vehicle until police violently dragged them to the ground and even threw one over a wall before putting them in handcuffs and arresting them.
With Morrissey Added to the Mix, Will the Catholic Church Face the Music?
September 3, 2024: In a letter to Pope Francis, iconic rocker and lifelong animal rights advocate Morrissey asked His Holiness to please, please, please give bulls what they want: a peaceful life. As part of PETA U.K.’s campaign calling on the pope to condemn violent bullfights, Morrissey wrote that the torment and slaughter of bulls “flies in the face” of the teachings of Christ: “You can never be a protector of animals while bullfighting and Catholicism are bedfellows.”
Morrissey’s letter concludes, “As I once sang, we all want the bull to survive. And so it is. Please show mercy and kindness to these animals and condemn bullfighting.”
Bullfighting Is a Sin: PETA U.K. Protesters Disrupt Vatican Audience
August 7, 2024: PETA U.K. supporters wearing T-shirts reading, “Stop Blessing Corridas,” and holding signs saying, “Bullfighting Is a Sin,” were arrested during the General Audience at the Vatican.
The protesters sent a powerful message in behalf of the countless individuals who are killed each year in bullfighting festivals around the world, many of which are held in honor of Catholic saints.
Priest Father Terry Martin Appears in Catholic Journal for PETA U.K.
July 17, 2024: Father Terry Martin appeared in a dramatic full-page ad for PETA U.K. in the leading international Catholic journal The Tablet. A longtime vegan and well-known animal advocate, Martin called out bullfighting for what it is: torture.
PETA U.K. ‘Nun’ Confronts Pope in Verona to Urge Him to Condemn Bullfights
May 18, 2024: As Pope Francis visited the Verona Arena, a PETA U.K. supporter dressed as a nun confronted him as he passed by in his vehicle and urged him to end the Catholic Church’s shameful ties to bullfighting.
Venice Biennale Disrupted
April 28, 2024: Amid the hustle and bustle of the Venice Biennale, PETA U.K. supporters disrupted Pope Francis’ visit to the Holy See pavilion. They used the opportunity to grab His Holiness’ attention using signs, following the celebration of Holy Mass in St. Mark’s Square.
PETA U.K.’s ‘Bullfighting Is a Sin’ Appeal Hits Vatican City
March 27, 2024: In time for Easter and ahead of the First Meeting of Bullfighting Chaplains and Priests in Zamora, Spain, PETA U.K. placed a provocative message in Rome showing an image of Jesus protecting a bull from a matador. The image was plastered on 100 billboards across the city, including near Vatican City, at major tourist attractions, and even on the back of a sightseeing bus.
Activists Disrupt Prayer Service, Beg Pope Francis to Condemn Bullfights
January 25, 2024: PETA U.K. protesters wearing T-shirts reading, “Stop Blessing Corridas,” disrupted a prayer service at the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls in Rome attended by Pope Francis.
Pope Francis Receives Gruesome Gift From Daniela Martani and PETA U.K.
December 15, 2023: For Pope Francis’ 87th birthday, singer and TV personality Daniela Martani delivered a gruesome gift to the Vatican on behalf of PETA U.K: a bottle of “blood” along with a note that read, “The Church Has Bulls’ Blood on Its Hands.”
‘Giant Nuns’ Call On Pope Francis to Cut the Church’s Ties With Bullfighting
October 23, 2023: PETA U.K. supporters—perched on stilts and dressed as nuns—joined the animal advocacy group Catholic Concern for Animals in Marseille, France, during Pope Francis’ visit, urging him to publicly condemn the cruel torture of bulls.
Italian Actor Loredana Cannata Begs Pope to Cut Ties With Bullfighting
October 21, 2023: As prominent Catholics gathered at the Vatican for the Synod on Synodality, actor Loredana Cannata joined PETA U.K. supporters who were demonstrating nearby dressed as “bloodied bulls” with “banderillas” sticking out of their backs.
Catholic Priests Ask Pope Francis to Sever Church’s Ties With Bullfighting
October 5, 2023: Three priests from Canada, France, and the U.K. wrote a letter to Pope Francis pointing out that the “torture and violent slaughter” of bulls is contrary to Christ’s teachings as well as to the Pope’s own principles of mercy and respect.
Vatican Protest Urges Pope to Denounce Bullfighting
July 28, 2023: To launch PETA U.K.’s campaign, Italian singer and TV personality Daniela Martani joined PETA U.K. supporters alongside local animal advocacy groups ENPA and Animalisti Italiani outside Vatican City.
Take Action for Bulls
As the head of the Catholic Church, Pope Francis has a responsibility to speak out against cruelty to our fellow animals. Join us in urging His Holiness to denounce bullfighting:
