Will Cardinal O’Malley Accept PETA’s Vegan Advent Candle Offer?

For Immediate Release:
November 17, 2022

Contact:
Robin Goist 202-483-7382

This morning, PETA’s Christian outreach division, LAMBS (“Least Among My Brothers and Sisters” from Matthew 25:40), sent a letter to the city’s archbishop, Séan Cardinal O’Malley, hoping to persuade him to replace his church’s stock of Advent candles with vegan ones free of beeswax, tallow from slaughterhouses, and any other animal-derived ingredient.

The illuminating letter insists that God intended for humans to be caretakers of all his creation, yet many candles contain ingredients derived from the abuse and slaughter of dogs, cats, cows, sheep, and pigs. Rendering companies process carcasses into purified fats like tallow, and for beeswax, it’s common for producers to clip the queen bee’s wings to prevent her from leaving the colony and forcibly inseminate her.

“Genesis 1:29 teaches us that Eden was vegan and that humans flourished in harmony with other animals,” writes PETA Foundation Christian Outreach and Engagement Campaign Coordinator Candice Kelsey. “Thankfully, with the abundance of widely available cruelty-free candle waxes, including soy, coconut, ceresin, and sustainable palm, we can better honor God’s plan.”

Vegan Advent candles are available from CocoSoy and Bear Natural Organics. LAMBS—which has also sent letters to cardinals in Chicago and Newark, New Jersey—offers an enlightening guide to finding animal-free candles for the Advent season and beyond.