17/02/2026
I read, some time ago, that the Catholic Church adopted the ‘thinking’ of Aristotle re animals. Aristotle is considered a pagan - and the ‘thinking’ was that animals were nothing other than automation, or mere objects.
Is this the excuse that remains true today in the Catholic religion? Seems so in this instance.
Those who hunt foxes are devoids, they have no empathy towards a helpless animal which, in turn, translates to the same thing with their human interactions. Normal people don’t get their kicks (of a very specific nature) from animal cruelty.
A Catholic priest was among those shamefully participating in a recent hunt in Kilkenny, during which foxes were terrorised by a pack of hounds.
An Irish Field report (6 February 2026) focusing on the North Kilkenny Foxhounds confirmed the presence of the priest - “a late arrival was local padre Fr Willie, whose delay had to be excused due to his Sunday mass duties”.
“He is obviously following in the footsteps of the hunt’s founder, the famed Fr Kearns,” the report added. “A padre is now something of a rarity in the hunting field and, at a guess, I would say Fr Willie must be one of the last in Ireland.”
His arrival came after the start of the hunt when “hounds quickly found [a fox]”.
The hounds “hunted a big loop with some great jumping over ditches, before running on...”
According to the report, the hunters “had a nice hunt and marked Reynard to ground”.
Was this fox torn apart by the dogs? In fox hunting terminology, “marked to ground” refers to the point when the pack of hounds chase the fox into an earth or drain. This is typically followed by the arrival of the hunt’s terriermen who cruelly catch the fox using shovels, spades and terriers before the doomed animal is pulled out and brutally killed.
Later, the hunt “pressed on to Conahy church” where the pack of dogs found a fox “in a small covert adjacent to the church and hunted on past the graveyard, and a nice dash ensued”.
During the hunting season, the North Kilkenny Foxhounds terrorise foxes on Wednesdays and Sundays.
The Irish Council Against Blood Sport is renewing an appeal to the Irish Catholic Bishops' Conference to act to end clergy involvement in bloodsports.
Previously, in 2003, the Catholic Communications Office issued a statement to say: "Over the past few years, certain concerns have been expressed regarding the participation of Catholic clergy in blood sports. In particular, the practice of priests blessing foxhunts has been criticised as has the granting of permission for hunts to access Church land. The Episcopal Conference would share some of these concerns and would draw the attention of both priests and people to paragraphs 2415 to 2418 of the Catechism of the Catholic Church where it is clearly stated that ‘it is contrary to human dignity to cause animals to suffer or die needlessly.’ The Conference does not condone the practice of priests blessing foxhunts..." https://www.scribd.com/doc/120620050/Irish-Bishops-Statement-on-Blood-Sports
DID YOU KNOW? Irish taxpayer-funded Horse Racing Ireland has handed out €13,796,550 to hunts since 2014 (in the form of point to point racing grants), including over €1.7 million in 2024. The North Kilkenny Foxhounds hunt has received €135,500 in that period, including €16,900 in 2024.
SEE ALSO
Foxes terrorised by 27 dogs during North Kilkenny hunt https://banbloodsports.wordpress.com/2025/05/25/foxes-terrorised-by-27-dogs-during-north-kilkenny-hunt/
TAKE ACTION
Join us in urging the Irish Catholic Bishops' Conference to end clergy involvement in fox hunting.
Irish Catholic Bishops' Conference
Columba Centre, Maynooth,
Co. Kildare W23 P6D3
Tel: +353 (1) 505 3000
Email: info@catholicbishops.ie
SAMPLE LETTER
(If you have time, please compose your own personal letter)
To whom it concerns:
I am writing to urge you to please act to end clergy involvement in cruel fox hunting.
May I draw your attention to a 6 February 2026 report in the Irish Field which stated that a priest was among those at a hunt, during which foxes were terrorised by a pack of hounds - “a late arrival was local padre Fr Willie, whose delay had to be excused due to his Sunday mass duties”. During the hunt, the pack of dogs found a fox “in a small covert adjacent to [Conahy] church and hunted on past the graveyard, and a nice dash ensued”.
Paragraph 2418 of the Catholic Catechism states that 'it is contrary to human dignity to cause animals to suffer and die needlessly.'
In fox hunting, foxes are chased to exhaustion by packs of dogs and when they slow down and are caught, they are attacked, bitten, disembowelled, pulled apart. Foxes who try to escape underground are dug out with shovels and spades and thrown to the hounds - typically after hunt terriers are sent down the hole to corner and attack them. There is no doubt that this is contrary to the Catechism and that, therefore, no member of the clergy should participate in this cruel bloodsport.
Thank you. I look forward to your response.
Yours sincerely,
[Name/Location]
SEE ALSO
€1.7 million more in HRI grants to hunts
https://banbloodsports.wordpress.com/2025/05/07/e1-7-million-more-in-hri-grants-to-hunts/
HRI’s shameful €12 million in funding to cruel fox hunts
https://banbloodsports.wordpress.com/2024/06/04/hris-shameful-e12-million-in-funding-to-cruel-fox-hunts/
