'Men Owe Them Kindness'

Deborah M. Jones discusses her book, The School of Compassion: A Roman Catholic Theology of Animals, and her work with the Catholic Concern for Animals. Dr. Jones has sought to build a theology of animals around the catechism's dictate that "animals are God's creatures. By their mere existence, they bless him and give him glory. Thus men owe them kindness." She reflects on care for animals shown by the desert fathers, why she hopes her cause will be embraced by Catholic scholars and what ordinary Catholics can do to show their compassion for all God's creatures.