Protest Against Bullfighting Disrupts Pope Francis' Vatican Audience

Two women from an animal rights group interrupted Pope Francis's weekly general audience at the Vatican to protest against bullfighting. They held up signs and wore t-shirts with slogans, before being escorted out by security. The incident took place during Francis’s first audience after a summer break.

Pope Francis's weekly general audience at the Vatican on Wednesday was disrupted when two women from an animal rights group protested against bullfighting. The women, holding signs and wearing t-shirts with slogans such as 'Bullfighting is a sin' and 'Stop blessing corridas,' were quickly removed by security.

This marks the first general audience held by Pope Francis after a month-long summer break. The session took place in the Vatican's Paul VI hall due to high temperatures in Rome. The women identified themselves as part of the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) organisation. It is at least the second protest involving PETA members at a papal event this year.

Critics argue that some Catholic priests bless local bullfighters. Although Pope Francis has not publicly addressed the matter, his predecessor, 16th-century Pope Pius V, condemned bullfighting. Traditional bullfights occur in Spain, France, and several Latin American countries, with a variation in Portugal where the bull is not killed in the ring.