AN IMPASSIONED plea for 'neater respect for the rights and welfare of animals was made last weekend by a Catholic bishop who is campaigning for a chatter to protect animals from crteety and abuse.
Bishop Agnellus An OFM, condemned the r transplant of a healthy ba
heart to "Baby Fae" in United States on the grotilais that "the heart of a little *Id who had died was edits. available".
"Its a far cry from Our Lcfr,d's words in the Gospel, whet! 1* said that not a sparrow fell froin the tree without HiS Heavenly Father's concern", said Bisittop Andrew who is President of Ate Catholic Study Circle for Animal Welfare.
His remarks were made in an address read to the ecumenical conference "Animals in Community", which took place last Saturday at Westminster Cathedral.
He accused some people of "taking pride in suppressing their compassionate instincts" and argued that the case for protection of animals is founded in "the mystery of the Incarnation. To redeem us, God identified Himself with creation and came within the world He had made with love".
If we understood this, said Bishop Andrew, we would be less likely to ignore "the wanton, crude and often unnecessary sufferings of other forms of creation that seem to grow greater every day".
Bishop Andrew is particularly concerned about experimentation on animals for scientific or cosmetic research, much of which he has argued is unnecessary because tests are duplicated. He is urging parliamentary action setting up a charter which would ensure the accountability of those using animals, freedom of access for investigations of conditions and regular publicly available reports on the number and nature of all experiments.
The conference, was organised jointly by Ark, a Catholic animal rights organisation, and by the A jean Animal Welfare Soci . Discussion was, led in the morning by Illtyd Harrington the Catholic chairman of the GLC.