WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Humane Society of the United States has introduced an interfaith program called Animals and Religion to engage religious people and institutions on an array of critical animal protection issues.

One of the major initiatives of the program is Food, Farming and Faith, which recognizes the central role of food in religious traditions and promotes faithful stewardship of animals in agriculture, the organization announced last week.

All of the world’s major religions encourage ethical behavior toward others, especially those who suffer and are powerless, and all animals should be the subjects of this ethical consideration too, the Humane Society said in a press release.

Through its new initiative, the organization will explore the sacred dimensions of food in various religious traditions and highlight its vital place in community and faith.

Communion, the re-enactment of Christ’s Last Supper and the sharing of bread and wine or a nonalcoholic substitute, is at the heart of the Christian tradition. Many religious Jews follow kosher laws that detail how animals should be cared for and slaughtered before humans consume them. Muslims have similar rules called halal.

Food, Farming and Faith also brings into focus the link between industrial animal agriculture and central issues of faith communities such as global hunger and the growing concern of climate change, the HSUS said.

The organization has produced two pamphlets in connection with the new program that were distributed last month to members of the Religion Newswriters Association at its conference in San Antonio.

“The Bible’s Teachings on Protecting Animals and Nature” cites biblical texts from the Old and New Testaments that “command us to treat animals with kindness and respect.”

“A Religious Case for Compassion for Animals” is a reprint of an essay by Matthew Scully that appeared in the American Conservative in 2005. In it, Scully urges conservative Christians to support more humane treatment of factory farm animals.

The HSUS is the nation’s largest animal protection organization supported by 10 million Americans, according to the press release. For more than a 50 years, it has been fighting for the protection of all animals through advocacy, education and hands-on programs.

The organization’s mission to protect animals is consistent with the collectively held religious value of caring for creation and the principles of mercy and compassion.

For information on its new program, visit www.humanesociety.org/religion.