ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1995, Roanoke Times
DATE: Saturday, December 23, 1995 TAG: 9512270038
SECTION: RELIGION PAGE: A-5 EDITION: METRO
DATELINE: NEW YORK
SOURCE: DAVID BRIGGS ASSOCIATED PRESS
The founder of the International Network for Religion and Animals was once a devout churchgoer, describing her faith as the love of her life and her guiding light.
Yet at the age of 83, Virginia Bourquardez has decided to leave the Roman Catholic Church she was born and baptized in. After months of reflection, Bourquardez said she can no longer assent to the teaching in the new Catechism of the Catholic Church that animals were created for human use.
``At this point in my life, I cannot countenance the fact religion as a whole so permits the terrible suffering of animals,'' she said in an interview.
Bourquardez, who stopped attending church in November, announced her decision in the latest issue of Inroads, the newsletter of the animal-rights network she founded in 1985.
While others in the group have not decided on so drastic a step, many animal-rights activists share the opinion that religion, generally believed to have been slow in reacting to environmental concerns, is even less attentive to issues such as the ``factory farming'' of animals and the indiscriminate use of animals in medical experimentation.
When people concerned about animals and religion view the creation account in Genesis, they concentrate on the passage in which God is described as making the wild animals, cattle and everything that creeps upon the ground of every kind.
``And God saw that it was good,'' Genesis says.
But in the next verse, God creates humans and gives them ``dominion'' over all the animals.
Where the Judeo-Christian tradition has often fallen short, religious animal-rights activists say, is in its emphasis on human control over animals as opposed to the need to respect their divine value.
Bourquardez particularly objected to the statement in the new catechism that ``Animals, like plants and inanimate beings, are by nature destined for the common good of past, present and future humanity.''
From her perspective, the church in that statement ``relegates the animal creation to a continuation of the suffering it has endured all these years at the hands of man.''
The Rev. Jeffrey Sobosan, a Catholic theologian at the University of Portland in Oregon who has four cats, interprets the catechism statement to mean animals share in the common good with human beings.
The catechism goes on to state animals are God's creatures and that while it is legitimate to use animals for food, clothing and reasonable medical experimentation, ``it is contrary to human dignity to cause animals to suffer or die needlessly.''
Sobosan, author of ``Bless the Beasts,'' said the catechism advances the idea of the mutual care of human beings and animals.
Even when animals are used for food, he said, there ``always is the idea the proper attitude is one of gratitude and thanksgiving for the life of the animal.''
And while Bourquardez elected to leave, Marlene Sullivan Ryan, a board member of the religion and animals network, reported that she is staying within the Catholic Church.
Ryan said she is not happy with the catechism, but that she sees positive signs in the writings of theologians such as Sobosan and events in local parishes such as programs blessing animals.
``There are too many dedicated people within my church who are working hard to bring about changes for the animals. Too many people who want to see the real meaning of `dominion' brought to fulfillment to even consider leaving,'' Ryan said. ``I will stay because change comes from within and I know that will happen one day.''
Even Bourquardez, who is in frail health, said she has not made a decision to leave permanently, but has taken a leave of absence.
She said she hoped her action would have some ``shock appeal,'' and would start the church thinking again about its relationship toward animals.
``They are a unique creation of God,'' she said. ``They are his creatures, not ours.''
LENGTH: Medium: 80 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: University of Portland theology professor Jeffreyby CNBSobosan is author of the book ``Bless the Beasts.''