Brigitte Bardot’s efforts to save the 2 Asian elephants from being euthanized.

I commend animal rights activist and anti-euthanasia advocate Brigitte Bardot for her efforts to rescue and save two Asian elephants allegedly suffering from tuberculosis in a Lyon zoo.

Today there is a promotion of a mental environment of death—one might say a culture of death that includes everything from abortion to homosexuality. We need to begin asking ourselves what kind of messages contemporary culture is giving us about the nature of good and evil, and how to resist evil?

Animals are our friends. St. Francis of Assisi called all creatures his “brothers” and “sisters,” and even preached to the birds and supposedly persuaded a wolf to stop attacking some locals if they agreed to feed the wolf. St. Francis is also known for having released a rabbit from its' trap and for having allowed himself to be displaced by a donkey while staying in a small hovel. As a result, Christians everywhere today celebrate the feast of St. Francis of Assisi on October 4 by having their pets blessed in the spirit of this patron saint of animals and ecology.

Let us all believe with St. Francis that all life is precious and that nature itself is the mirror of God.