Pope’s convoy crashed by anti-bullfighting protesters

An activist protesting the Vatican’s links to bullfighting threw herself in front of Pope Francis’ convoy during his visit to Luxembourg on Thursday.

As spectators lined the roads to watch the 87-year-old pontiff drive through the capital in his signature Popemobile, a protester hopped over a barricade and flung herself in front of the vehicle. In a video of the incident posted by animal-rights organization PETA as well as in footage captured by local media, she can be seen dropping to her knees, holding up a sign and shouting at the Pope to “stop torturing bulls.”

The protester, a PETA activist, was quickly dragged away by the Pope’s security detail along with two other activists, according to local media. All were arrested.

PETA said in a statement Thursday that the protesters had sustained injuries when they were detained, but added that the “violence” was “nothing compared to the cruelty animals are subjected to in bullrings.”

“PETA is pleading with Pope Francis to end the Church’s affiliation with cruel, unchristian bullfights,” the group added.

Bullfighting, a centuries-old sport in which a bull is baited and killed before a crowd, is practiced in Spain, Portugal and southern France, as well as in parts of Latin America. It has been outlawed elsewhere, including in the United Kingdom and Italy.

As early as 1567, Pope Saint Pius V issued a decree banning bullfighting under penalty of excommunication, calling it “cruel and base.” However, according to PETA, the contests are often dedicated to Catholic saints, while bullfighters are blessed by local priests.

PETA noted that Laudato Si’, Pope Francis’ letter to the Catholic Church on caring for the environment, states that “every act of cruelty towards any creature is contrary to human dignity,” although the pope hasn’t made specific comments for or against bullfighting.

It’s not the first time anti-bullfighting protesters have crashed an appearance by Francis. Activists from PETA last month interrupted the pontiff’s weekly audience at the Vatican, shouting and holding signs calling bullfighting “a sin” before being removed.

Francis arrived in Luxembourg on Thursday for his first-ever visit to the country. He called on the tiny landlocked nation, which has the highest GDP per capita in the world, to increase its foreign aid contributions, telling a gathering of political leaders that “wealth includes responsibility.”

He also travels to Belgium this week, where he will meet with survivors of abuse by Catholic clergy. The trip is a rare appearance in Europe outside the Vatican for Francis, who recently concluded his longest trip ever in Southeast Asia.