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It takes place once a year in Spain, and it’s one of the most sadistic traditions on earth. It’s not the running of the bulls, where thrill seekers chase terrified bulls down the street. And it’s not a bullfight, where matadors torment bulls before stabbing them to death in front of a cheering  crowd. This event, which takes place in the town of Medinaceli during the second week of November, is called Toro Del Fuego — Bull of Fire.

During the Toro Del Fuego, also known as Toro Jubilo (jubilant bull), participants drag a bull through the streets, insert balls of turpentine and sulfur into his horns and set the balls on fire. The frantic bull is released in the town square where he smashes his horns against the walls in an attempt to douse the bonfire on his head. Bulls who don’t die during during ritual are slaughtered for meat when it’s over.

The “festival” dates back 400 years, but it was banned for 15 years in the 60’s and 70s’ on the grounds of animal cruelty. Participants defend the festival, saying that the animals don’t suffer.

Listening to the bulls wail in agony is every bit as difficult as watching their desperate attempts to douse the fire that engulfs them. Please sign on to the letter to the Pope asking him to speak out and to the petition to the officials in the region of Spain where the festival is held.