If Pope Francis is still contemplating what to give up for Lent, this girl has a suggestion that comes with quite the reward.
Genesis Butler, a 12-year-old animal rights activist, and Million Dollar Vegan, a nonprofit campaign dedicated to fighting “climate change with diet change,” are calling on the pontiff to give up animal products for the Catholic period of Lent — which begins March 6 and lasts six weeks until Easter.
Butler and the campaign, which is backed by celebrities including Paul McCartney, Woody Harrelson, Moby and Mena Suvari, are offering some serious incentive for Francis to consider their request: $1 million donated to the charity, or charities, of his choice.
Million Dollar Vegan says the money would be donated by the Blue Horizon International Foundation, a US-based nonprofit with the goal of helping to further “the removal of animals from the global food chain.”
“In your encyclical letter, Laudato si’, you stated that every effort to protect and improve our world will involve changes in lifestyle, production, and consumption. I agree with all my heart and seek your support in tackling one of the largest underlying causes of the problems we face: animal agriculture,” Butler wrote in her open letter to the pope, which was published in more than 15 major newspapers worldwide this week.
“Not only does animal farming impact on the world’s poorest, it contributes 14.5 percent of human-caused greenhouse gas emissions,” Butler writes. “It is also a leading cause of deforestation and the current mass extinction of wildlife.”
Butler became a vegan at age 6, and at the age of 10 became the youngest person ever to give a TED talk, which focused on the environmental benefits of maintaining a plant-based diet.
Pope Francis has been a vocal advocate for fighting climate change throughout his papacy.
In his 2015 encyclical “Laudato si,” he implored all people regardless of faith to save the planet for future generations. Francis wrote that he hoped his efforts to raise awareness would lead world leaders to take critical action.
The pope in 2018 called on oil executives and energy leaders to help the world convert to clean forms of fuel to avoid an environmental catastrophe. He told those officials that “civilization requires energy but energy use must not destroy civilization,” warning that humanity was at risk due to climate change.
The Vatican has not yet said what Francis will give up for Lent — or if he is considering the vegan offer.
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