Pope Francis Tells Young Europeans That Eating Meat is “Self-Destructive,” Bad for The Environment

Pope Francis has told young Europeans that they should eat less meat, as it is part of a “self-destructive trend.”

Francis penned a letter to the EU Youth Conference held in Prague this week, a gathering of young people from across the supranational union. In the letter, the Pope invited the attendees to “transform the ‘old continent’ into a ‘new continent’,” praising them for being less ideological and “sensitive to environmental issues.”

He applauded the young Europeans for being “capable of concrete initiatives,” and said that they should turn around the “self-destructive trend” of reserving “a life of luxury… for a small slice of the world.” Instead, they must follow a path of “dignity and sobriety,” by reducing the consumption of “superfluous things,” including eating meat, in order to save the environment.

Specifically, the Pope argued that “in certain areas of the world,” less meat should be consumed. It is unclear exactly what Francis meant by this, but as the speech was addressed to Europeans, they would most likely be included in that.

A study from the University of Helsinki published in April suggested that eating meat grown in a lab and mashed-up bugs is good for the environment. In May, a study was undertaken in a number of primary schools in Wales where children were given the option to eat bugs, with the scientists hoping they would persuade their parents to do so as well.

Francis referred to his previous publication of “Laudato si,” a 2015 letter that attacked global warming, and demanded that the entire world take “swift and unified global action” in order to stop it from happening.

The Pope also instructed the young Europeans to “present the world with a new face” of the continent, as their ancestors had in the past “went to other continents, not always for noble interests.”

Discussing the current conflict in Ukraine, Francis repeated the claim that “if the world were ruled by women, there would not be so many wars, because those who have the mission of giving life cannot make death choices.” Over the past 500 years in Europe, queens were 27% more likely to wage war than kings.