An animal rights group has launched a petition urging the Vatican to condemn bullfighting.

Organised by PETA, the petition has garnered over 52,000 signatures so far. They believe that because bullfights are often held in honour of Catholic saints or during holy Christian celebrations, the Catholic Church must help end the practice.

PETA vice president for Europe Mimi Bekhechi said: “The Church teaches compassion for all living beings, yet it’s complicit in the ritual torment and killing of persecuted bulls.”

“PETA is calling on Pope Francis to condemn this vile spectacle, and we urge merciful people everywhere to stay far away from bullrings.”

According to the organisation, each year, tens of thousands of bulls meet their end in bullfighting festivals globally, many dedicated to Catholic saints. In these events, mounted assailants thrust lances and banderillas into the bull, causing acute pain and restricting its movement.

Eventually, a matador attempts to kill the weakened bull with a sword or knife, often leaving it conscious but paralyzed as trophies are taken and its body dragged away.

In his encyclical Laudato Si', Pope Francis condemned cruelty to creatures as contrary to human dignity. Centuries earlier, in 1567, Pope Pius V outlawed bullfighting, calling the practice "alien from Christian piety and charity" and "better suited to demons rather than men," but his ban eventually lapsed.