AN Episcopal church leader has refused to bow to demands from Peta to scrap its traditional lobster feast.
Activists had demanded its annual lobster boil be stopped and the congregation eat vegetarian food instead.
But the reverend Peter Ackerman said his church, St Christopher’s Episcopal Church in Springfield, Virginia, would continue the lobster tradition.
Peta wrote to the US head of the church Bishop Michael Curry, asking him to put a stop to lobster dinners nationwide.
But Bishop Curry has so far failed to respond to the request.
Episcopal churches across America hold annual community lobster boils as part of a long-standing tradition.
The Peta letter cited both the Old and New Testaments and claimed lobster boiling is cruel and “ doesn’t reflect the tenets of the Episcopal Church”.
Rev Ackerman, who pledged to continue the annual lobster boil, said: “PETA raises a thoughtful point. I have shared this with our church board in the hopes that we can respond in a way that keeps the annual celebratory dinner gathering intact but also brings forth our awareness and sensitivity to how we interact with God’s creatures.”
