Clergy Abuse Victim Highlights Church’s Involvement in Bullfighting, Calls for Accountability

In a recent PETA video, Daniel Paden, a clergy abuse survivor and PETA employee, addresses the Roman Catholic Church’s involvement with bullfighting. Paden, who has dedicated his career to combating cruelty to animals, questions how a Church that preaches compassion can be associated with such cruelty. He calls on the Church and Pope Leo XIV to condemn all forms of abuse and violence, both towards humans and animals.

Paden shares his own experience of sexual abuse by a priest, highlighting a troubling contradiction within the Church. Despite teachings that humans should not cause animals to suffer or die needlessly, some priests support bullfighting. These events involve bullfighters tormenting and mutilating bulls, often as part of festivals honoring saints.

Bulls, as social and sensitive creatures, suffer agonizing deaths in bullfighting arenas. The ritual begins with a lance thrust into the bull’s back and neck, followed by harpoons or banderillas. When the bull is too weak to stand, the matador delivers a fatal sword thrust. Often, the bull is still conscious as its ears or tail are cut off as trophies.

Paden urges the Church to sever ties with the bullfighting industry, emphasizing that Christ calls for the protection of the powerless. He references Pope Francis’s encyclical, *Laudato Si’*, which states that cruelty towards any creature is contrary to human dignity. Pope Pius V, canonized in the 16th century, had previously banned bullfighting, describing it as cruel and contrary to Christian values.

The movement to end bullfighting has gained momentum, with advocates urging the Pope to condemn this cruel spectacle. This call for change reflects a broader commitment to justice and care for victims, echoing the biblical principle of protecting the vulnerable as outlined in Micah 6:8 and Proverbs 31:8-9.

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