I’ve never been to a bull fight. In Canada the closest equivalent would be amateur bow/crossbow hunting where a hapless hunter has to track the injured animal to finally kill it (this is a solitary activity of suffering and humiliation for both hunter and hunted). As a cultural outsider I’m generally more sympathetic to arguments against bullfighting. However, the fact that the meat is consumed is an important thing.
I think the way most of us, in industrial/post-industrial societies, eat and consume packaged meat genuinely warps the human heart and mind in relation to our participation in the killing of animals (as mentioned in the article re: inhumane factory farming conditions). Ideally we would have a relationship to all the meat/fish we consume, by raising it, catching it, killing it ourselves. This undergirds the intrinsic violence with a sense of gratitude and an understanding of the ‘exchange’ which is taking place between human and whatever creature involved. This is simply not possible for most people now. The suffering animal and the mechanics of processing are utterly abstract to us when we buy our packaged steaks for the BBQ. Very few, I would wager, give thought to the actual creature who has died in order for people to have a meal. In the case of bullfighting, at least the individuals eating the meat are aware of the beauty and power of the animal they are eating. They have some sort of connection with the bull and the process, by some sort of cultural participation.
A related anicdote: we lived in Portugal for a time, and the first time I went to a farmers’ market I saw all these cute rabbits in cages and I said to my wife how interesting it is that they sell pet rabbits at the farmers’ market… It didn’t take long for the penny to drop.
Often you can see the butcher trucks right outside the plaza and the restaurants where the meat is served are well known, at least to those who regularly go. It's hard to feel disconnected
Note to the editors "First comes the opening capework, in which the bullfighter dodges the bull by using a cape - or muleta - to show the features and strength of the bull."
The muleta is the smaller red cape used in the third tercio not the first, as you correctly state when discussing the third.
As a Spaniard who has been to several bullfights and enjoys the spectacle and theatricality of it all, I will say I remain conflicted. On the one hand it is obviously painful and drawn out for the bull, even if it is so strong and noble as to be pardoned at the end. On the other hand, there is so much identity, tradition, culture, and meaning behind it all that it almost feels liturgical.
If the Church formally came out against it nowadays, I think some people would feel similarly to when other traditional celebrations (if you know what I mean) are limited or prohibited, but I suspect most people would be fine or begrudgingly (me) accept it.
I feel much the same as you, but I did find it interesting that St. Pius V, who codified the Tridentine Mass, spoke out so strongly against it, and I wondered how traditionalists would reconcile that.
Honestly it seems a similar situation to Mardi Gras/Carnevale, except maybe for the bullfight chaplains? Don't think there are Mardi Gras chaplains, but I'm not sure.
Thank you for a very detailed description of this entire issue. This is definitely not a liberal vs conservative Catholic argument, as I remember one of the most liberal priests I have ever known, a Mexican, tell me how he loves going to bullfights everytime he is back in Mexico. I don't think Pope Leo XIV is going to touch this issue, although I am surprised previous Popes did considering how much more influential Spain was in the Church isn past centuries.
Interesting article. I was just in Spain and saw plenty of advertisements for bullfights. I thought it might be interesting to attend one if I had more time, but wasn't really sure what to make of it ethically.
One thing I think people are underestimating is the sheer size and power of these animals. Though the injuries can look rather ghastly, especially as surface cuts bleed prodigiously (ask any boxer), the pain tolerance of bovines is quite high.
I don’t know what would be comparable to a human, but I suspect it would be more equivalent to a rock in the shoe versus a knife in the back; enough to get good and ornery about, but not enough to be debilitating.
It seems to me the criticism is always from people with no familiarity to raising livestock and that any rancher would be rather bemused by the display of concern.
I too come from farming livestock and hence I say to you- If you are capable of torturing any of your animals for pleasure then you should ask yourself if you are truly a Christian
"if Frenchmen started bullfighting, it would be a mortal sin"
Now there's an excellent example of 17th-century elbows being thrown... Left implied is the premise that should they attempt to step into the arena, their neighbours to the northeast would almost certainly perish!
OK, OK, OK.... The Pillar just wears me out with insightful reporting - as shown in this article. I was not all that interested in the subject but was somehow drawn to how The Pillar would write about this topic. Another great article, you did an excellent job of reporting the history/facts of our Church's association with bullfighting and how it views bullfighting today in its practices. Thanks, keep up your great work.
Yes! See this is the thing about good writing. It's fun to read about things I would never have imagined caring about -- as long as the writing is good and the information is insightful.
Saint Estanislaus Kotska... Is that Saint Stanislaus (Stanisław) Kostka, the Polish Jesuit novice martyr? I've never seen that spelling... I'm guessing for the given name it's the Spanish version of the name, but I think Kotska must be a typo...
This is an amazing article. I've never thought about this issue, and it's quite a succinct look at the whole Catholic perspective! I found it very interesting, thank you!
Bullfighting in Spain, where I live, is the cruel torture of bulls for the entertainment of the crowds. It is no longer a culture, and, as we have seen from your well-written report, people have tried to stop it for centuries. It is no longer relevant in today's society, and the Catholic Church needs to pull out of any support whatsoever of this barbarism and think about what Christ would do? He would never torture an animal for pleasure so neither should anyone connected in any way with the church.
I attended a bull fight while on a high school trip to Spain a long time ago. It was an interesting experience, very theatrical. To be honest, nothing about it at the time seemed cruel.
I do question the sport aspect of it from the Christian perspective, but as a previous comment pointed out it does provide a connection to the animal for those that consume it that modern practices don’t provide.
I also question PETA, an organization that values animals over humans when it serves there purpose but also has bad results in their animal shelters compared to those run by other organizations.
Thank you for this fair, detailed report.
Well, I found this very interesting. Thank you.
I’ve never been to a bull fight. In Canada the closest equivalent would be amateur bow/crossbow hunting where a hapless hunter has to track the injured animal to finally kill it (this is a solitary activity of suffering and humiliation for both hunter and hunted). As a cultural outsider I’m generally more sympathetic to arguments against bullfighting. However, the fact that the meat is consumed is an important thing.
I think the way most of us, in industrial/post-industrial societies, eat and consume packaged meat genuinely warps the human heart and mind in relation to our participation in the killing of animals (as mentioned in the article re: inhumane factory farming conditions). Ideally we would have a relationship to all the meat/fish we consume, by raising it, catching it, killing it ourselves. This undergirds the intrinsic violence with a sense of gratitude and an understanding of the ‘exchange’ which is taking place between human and whatever creature involved. This is simply not possible for most people now. The suffering animal and the mechanics of processing are utterly abstract to us when we buy our packaged steaks for the BBQ. Very few, I would wager, give thought to the actual creature who has died in order for people to have a meal. In the case of bullfighting, at least the individuals eating the meat are aware of the beauty and power of the animal they are eating. They have some sort of connection with the bull and the process, by some sort of cultural participation.
A related anicdote: we lived in Portugal for a time, and the first time I went to a farmers’ market I saw all these cute rabbits in cages and I said to my wife how interesting it is that they sell pet rabbits at the farmers’ market… It didn’t take long for the penny to drop.
Often you can see the butcher trucks right outside the plaza and the restaurants where the meat is served are well known, at least to those who regularly go. It's hard to feel disconnected
Note to the editors "First comes the opening capework, in which the bullfighter dodges the bull by using a cape - or muleta - to show the features and strength of the bull."
The muleta is the smaller red cape used in the third tercio not the first, as you correctly state when discussing the third.
It’s true, it should be the capote. I mixed them by mistake!
As a Spaniard who has been to several bullfights and enjoys the spectacle and theatricality of it all, I will say I remain conflicted. On the one hand it is obviously painful and drawn out for the bull, even if it is so strong and noble as to be pardoned at the end. On the other hand, there is so much identity, tradition, culture, and meaning behind it all that it almost feels liturgical.
If the Church formally came out against it nowadays, I think some people would feel similarly to when other traditional celebrations (if you know what I mean) are limited or prohibited, but I suspect most people would be fine or begrudgingly (me) accept it.
I feel much the same as you, but I did find it interesting that St. Pius V, who codified the Tridentine Mass, spoke out so strongly against it, and I wondered how traditionalists would reconcile that.
Honestly it seems a similar situation to Mardi Gras/Carnevale, except maybe for the bullfight chaplains? Don't think there are Mardi Gras chaplains, but I'm not sure.
Perhaps PETA committed a typo and was trying to tell the USCCB that “BULL$H1++ING IS A SIN”…?
😆 the bull on bulls...
Great article. Again The Pillar makes for educational and entertaining reading!
Thank you for a very detailed description of this entire issue. This is definitely not a liberal vs conservative Catholic argument, as I remember one of the most liberal priests I have ever known, a Mexican, tell me how he loves going to bullfights everytime he is back in Mexico. I don't think Pope Leo XIV is going to touch this issue, although I am surprised previous Popes did considering how much more influential Spain was in the Church isn past centuries.
Interesting article. I was just in Spain and saw plenty of advertisements for bullfights. I thought it might be interesting to attend one if I had more time, but wasn't really sure what to make of it ethically.
One thing I think people are underestimating is the sheer size and power of these animals. Though the injuries can look rather ghastly, especially as surface cuts bleed prodigiously (ask any boxer), the pain tolerance of bovines is quite high.
I don’t know what would be comparable to a human, but I suspect it would be more equivalent to a rock in the shoe versus a knife in the back; enough to get good and ornery about, but not enough to be debilitating.
It seems to me the criticism is always from people with no familiarity to raising livestock and that any rancher would be rather bemused by the display of concern.
I too come from farming livestock and hence I say to you- If you are capable of torturing any of your animals for pleasure then you should ask yourself if you are truly a Christian
Because that’s what I said. People like you are always so disingenuous.
"if Frenchmen started bullfighting, it would be a mortal sin"
Now there's an excellent example of 17th-century elbows being thrown... Left implied is the premise that should they attempt to step into the arena, their neighbours to the northeast would almost certainly perish!
OK, OK, OK.... The Pillar just wears me out with insightful reporting - as shown in this article. I was not all that interested in the subject but was somehow drawn to how The Pillar would write about this topic. Another great article, you did an excellent job of reporting the history/facts of our Church's association with bullfighting and how it views bullfighting today in its practices. Thanks, keep up your great work.
Yes! See this is the thing about good writing. It's fun to read about things I would never have imagined caring about -- as long as the writing is good and the information is insightful.
Saint Estanislaus Kotska... Is that Saint Stanislaus (Stanisław) Kostka, the Polish Jesuit novice martyr? I've never seen that spelling... I'm guessing for the given name it's the Spanish version of the name, but I think Kotska must be a typo...
This is an amazing article. I've never thought about this issue, and it's quite a succinct look at the whole Catholic perspective! I found it very interesting, thank you!
Gotta love putting words in Pope Francis' mouth, when he was pope for 12 years, was protested also, and apparently never said anything about it.
Bullfighting in Spain, where I live, is the cruel torture of bulls for the entertainment of the crowds. It is no longer a culture, and, as we have seen from your well-written report, people have tried to stop it for centuries. It is no longer relevant in today's society, and the Catholic Church needs to pull out of any support whatsoever of this barbarism and think about what Christ would do? He would never torture an animal for pleasure so neither should anyone connected in any way with the church.
I attended a bull fight while on a high school trip to Spain a long time ago. It was an interesting experience, very theatrical. To be honest, nothing about it at the time seemed cruel.
I do question the sport aspect of it from the Christian perspective, but as a previous comment pointed out it does provide a connection to the animal for those that consume it that modern practices don’t provide.
I also question PETA, an organization that values animals over humans when it serves there purpose but also has bad results in their animal shelters compared to those run by other organizations.
PETA doesn’t care about God and doesn’t care about sin. Nobody should entertain their concern trolling.