“Dharma, Dominion, And The Divine: Mapping Animal Welfare Across World Religion”, Swarajyamag, June 1, 2025:

“More than a decade ago, I was attending a conference in which a young Catholic theologian, an ordained priest, spoke about David Bohm, Francis of Assisi and evolution. After the talk I got a chance to interact with him informally and I asked what he thought of Francis of Assisi’s views on animals having souls.

He immediately corrected me telling that they have awareness, consciousness, but not souls. It was a dualist and Christian theological nuance to separate the soul and consciousness. Dualist because it sees the physical body and hence the physical universe and soul as two entirely different essences. But that brief conversation made me realise that different religions have entirely different perceptions on non-human animals.

Joyce D’Silva, Ambassador Emeritus for Compassion in World Farming, a leading charity advancing the welfare of farm animals worldwide, in her book, Animal Welfare in World Religions: Teaching and Practice (Earthscan Routledge, 2023) provides a comprehensive and comparative study of each major religion in the world on the topic and also how the religionists adhere or deviate from the values advocated by their religion……”

Read the full article at Swarajyamag.com