Preachy animal activists would love to see the day when no one eats Grandma’s veal parmigiana. The day when talk of veal osso bucco draws the sort of sneers reserved for filterless cigarettes and morning martinis.
Citing antiquated “facts” about the veal industry, these anti-veal zealots continue to spread guilt-inducing propaganda in a coordinated effort to hijack the culinary world’s moral high ground. They compare animal agriculture to the Nazi Holocaust. They liken their anti-meat crusade to the Civil Rights movement. And for the save-the-calves crowd, a political vendetta against veal chops and Weiner schnitzel is just the first step toward a world free of steakhouses, milk, zoos, leather shoes, and animal-assisted medical research.
Wiener schnitzel is a popular Viennese dish made from a thin slice of breaded and fried veal.
But no matter how loudly animal activists shout about how supposedly “cruel” and “unethical” it is to eat veal, most Americans understand that humanely raised cows are meant to be eaten. And some of the most ethically devout among us find it perfectly acceptable to eat veal. Among them are two of the most compassionate and kindly individuals on the planet: His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI and His Holiness the Dalai Lama. They eat veal!
It’s no secret that Pope Benedict enjoys veal. His preference for Bavarian weisswurst, a traditional white veal and pork sausage, is so well known that during his April 2008 visit to the United States, Benedict’s aides asked ABC News to announce: “Please do NOT bring Pope Benedict XVI any [more] white sausage … it's a little awkward to carry back to Rome.”
Traditional Bavarian weisswurst, a sausage made from veal and pork, is a favorite of Pope Benedict XVI.
And the Dalai Lama, once used by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) as an unwilling spokesperson for vegetarianism, is a fan of veal too. During his May 2007 visit to the United States, Madison, Wisconsin chef Sandy D’Amato was instructed by the holy man’s staff to prepare a cured fish appetizer, stuffed pheasant breasts, and a slow-cooked veal roast.
During a 1999 banquet, the Dalai Lama couldn’t resist veal cheeks like these.
This wasn’t an isolated incident. During a December 1998 dinner hosted by then French President Jacques Chirac for Nobel Peace Prize recipients and human rights activists, the Dalai Lama was served a special meatless meal. Instead, he asked for the same entrée everyone else was served that evening—braised calf’s cheek and crayfish stuffed Vol-au-Vent. His reported comment? “I'm a Tibetan monk, not a vegetarian.”
Realizing that Pope Benedict sees nothing wrong with eating veal, strident animal rights groups like PETA and the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) frequently cherry-pick his statements to mislead the public into thinking that His Holiness is in support of their absolutist anti-meat agenda. On his blog, for example, HSUS president Wayne Pacelle wrote just before the Pope’s April 2008 visit to the United States:
The pontiff addressed his concern for animals and the environment in his annual statement for the Vatican World Day of Peace, delivered on the first day of this year. “Respecting the environment,” he said, “means not selfishly considering [animal and material] nature to be at the complete disposal of our own interests.”
Pacelle’s insertion of the word “animal” should send up a red flag. Apparently the sentences immediately preceding it were a bit inconvenient:
“Human beings, obviously, are of supreme worth vis-à-vis creation as a whole. Respecting the environment does not mean considering material or animal nature more important than man.”
Pacelle also selectively quotes a statement from Pope Benedict (then Cardinal Ratzinger) about animals:
“Animals, too, are God’s creatures and even if they do not have the same direct relation to God that man has, they are creatures of his will, creatures we must respect as companions in creation … degrading of living creatures to a commodity seems to me in fact to contradict the relationship of mutuality that comes across in the Bible.”
PETA quotes the pope in the same manner. Looking at Ratzinger’s full quote, however, it’s easy to see that PETA and HSUS are ignoring the parts that don’t suit their agenda:
“[W]e should not proceed from this to any kind of sectarian cult of animals. For this, too, is permitted to man. He should always maintain his respect for these creatures, but he knows at the same time that he is not forbidden to take food from them.”
To summarize, then, Pope Benedict is known for his love of veal sausage. And the Dalai Lama appears to enjoy veal roasts and calves’ cheeks enough to ask for them at official banquets. Both men clearly believe that treating animals with respect—without going overboard—is a virtue. Unless you’re prepared to call the leader of the global Roman Catholic church and the spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhists a couple of hypocrites, the only way to reconcile these facts is to conclude that the Pope and the Dalai Lama believe their veal is raised humanely and ethically.
And why shouldn’t they?
Today’s milk-fed veal calves are raised in well-lit barns, and farmers are in the middle of a transition to 100 percent group-housing environments. They have a balanced diet, access to fresh air, and climate-control during the cold and hot months.
Of course, no amount of animal pampering will convince animal rights activists that human beings should be anything but vegetarians. But no matter. The Pope and the Dalai Lama are leading by example. Being vegetarian is a fine choice, but so is eating veal. The choice is yours: Take it from two of the holiest holy men alive.