include“respect forthebeingswhich constitutethenatural
world” and added:
The dominion granted to man by the Creator is not an
absolutepower,norcanonespeakofafreedomto“useand
misuse,” or to dispose of things as one pleases.... When it
comes to the natural world, we are subject not only to
biological laws, but also to moral ones, which cannot be
violated with impunity.^18
ThataPope shouldsoclearlyrejecttheabsolute dominion
viewisverypromising,butitistooearlytosayifitsignalsa
historic and much-needed change of direction in Catholic
teaching about animals and the environment.
There have, of course, been manyhumane Catholics who
havedonetheirbesttoamelioratethepositionoftheirchurch
with regard to animals, and they have had occasional
successes. By stressing the degrading tendency of cruelty,
someCatholicwritershavefeltthemselvesabletocondemn
theworstofhumanpracticestowardotheranimals.Yetmost
remainlimitedbythebasicoutlookoftheirreligion.Thecase
of Saint Francis of Assisi illustrates this.
Saint Francis is theoutstanding exception to the rule that
Catholicismdiscouragesconcernforthewelfareofnonhuman
beings.“IfIcouldonlybepresentedtotheemperor,”heis
reportedassaying,“Iwouldprayhim,fortheloveofGod,
andofme,toissueanedictprohibitinganyonefromcatching
orimprisoningmysistersthelarks,andorderingthatallwho
haveoxenorassesshouldatChristmasfeedthemparticularly
well.”Manylegendstellofhiscompassion,andthestoryof
howhepreachedtothebirdscertainlyseemstoimplythatthe