German animal rights activists urge Easter ban on eggs and meat

Easter eggs. Photo: Markus Schreiber/AP Photo/picture alliance

Representatives of PETA have sent an appeal to church communities in the Diocese of Augsburg, urging them to refrain from blessing traditional animal-based foods during Easter celebrations. In the activists’ view, believers’ baskets should contain only plant-based products: regional vegetables and fruits, bread, horseradish, or a baked “vegan Easter lamb.”

PETA agricultural expert Lisa Kainz said that “animal suffering should not be blessed.” In her view, the meat of slaughtered animals, as well as eggs and milk, “can never be compatible with the values of the Church.” The animal rights group insists that the tradition of blessing food – historically tied to giving thanks to God for the gift of life – has in the modern world become support for an “industry of death.”

The organization reserved particular criticism for the custom of blessing eggs. Activists argue that, despite their ancient symbolism of fertility and rebirth, modern eggs come from systems of intensive animal farming that they describe as “torturous conditions” for birds. PETA maintains that the Christian message of love for one’s neighbor should be extended to “exploited animals in stalls” as well.

Earlier, the UOJ reported that the Catholic Church in Germany lost half a million parishioners in 2025.

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