The Pope's Green Streak (VIDEO)

The Vatican has gone solar and the Pope has declared environmental waste a cardinal sin. Eco-celebrity stuff doesn't often mean a whole lot, but in this case, the effects might be more significant.

WATCH:

Comments

[realpolitic]

The pope's hat he wears atop his head may make a good solar panel. It is very large!

[RationalDubSteppa]

Late to the party as usual.

[callenstewart]

Hmm. Well, part of me says, kudos. But it makes me suspicious. What are they trying to distract us from?

I'm chalking it up to PR magic. But still, it all helps.

[KillTheMessenger]

"What are they trying to distract us from?"

They are using solar panels now to distract from the fact that the Earth revolves around the sun! Beware these devils!

Geez...

:-)

[mamacat]

How does one go from being a soldier in the Wehrmacht for the Third Reich to being the Catholic Pope? I guess nothing says "moral authority" better than being loyal to the Fuerher.

[KillTheMessenger]

The Wehrmacht was no more and no less loyal to Hitler than the US army is loyal to George W. Bush. That is how the military usually works... soldiers pledge their allegiance to their country and the leadership (and Hitler was legally the leader of Germany, there is little historic doubt about that) and then they go to die, no matter how nonsensical the cause. And you can be sure that the average "Landser" died cursing Hitler. There was some, although not enough, loathing and resistance to Hitlers catastrophic military leadership among the officers. Again I would suggest you compare to the willingness of the US forces to have themselves slaughtered in an ill conceived war in Iraq. You will find plenty of parallels.

Having said that, and please believe me that I am NOT a fan of Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger who is as conservative as they come, but in terms of choice he had little. They did not ask you for permission when they drafted you into the Wehrmacht in 1943. Or did you think the consequences for refusing to go would have been a pat on the back and a bunch of roses from the pacifist society?

The Pope is not the ultimate moral authority in the Catholic Church. God is. The Pope merely handles the worldly affairs of the Church. Catholics usually take what comes from Rome with a grain of salt the size of an average salt mine and especially German theologians are fiercely independent.

[mamacat]

As we both know, there were many leaders, both Protestant and Catholic, who gave up their lives opposing the Third Reich. I would like to think that anyone chosen to be Pope and who is old enough to have participated in World War II would have done more than just save his own skin. He did not display moral leadership. He was 18 when the war ended, and he showed no signs of being special. I certainly understand that he faced difficult choices, and I am certainly not saying that he was a war criminal, but neither did he do anything that would show that he could translate moral certitude into tough choices. Many other people his age fought and died while fighting the Nazis.

It seems to me that this man is making up for his lack of ethics in his youth by overcompensating as an elder. Except, instead of behaving as a moral leader, he is behaving as a moral ruler, telling others, and especially the youth, how they should behave. I would expect better things from the Catholic Church. This is a small man in a very big job.

[realpolitic]

The arguments made by both mamacat and KTM here are well though out and reasoned. I think you both have a point and thanks for arguing with such civility.

[arvay]

I'm still trying to imagine Jesus dressed up in the ridiculous outfit this "Pope" is wearing. I'm not a believer, but if I were, and I were the Pope, I would be very, very afraid.

[Treehuggindirtworshiper]

And this pertains to the article....How?

[arvay]

His "moral judgements" need to be seen in the light of his absurdity.

[KillTheMessenger]

Let's just say that there is very little hope for you to ever become the Pope.

:-)

[JohnFromCensornati]

It's a cardinal sin to buy styrofoam cups and gasoline.

Meanwhile, you should feel free to overpopulate the world. Je$u$ wouldn't want you to use a condom.

[Treehuggindirtworshiper]

If it were only that simple.

[Treehuggindirtworshiper]

It's about time the Roman Church get around to stewardship of the planet. I'm Episcopalian and we started in 1989. Check out eenonline.org. Better late than never. Now if you would allow women to enter the priesthood and let priests and nuns marry.... that would be a blessing! I say you go Pope Benedict XVI!

[KillTheMessenger]

You got started in 1989? Man, you really have an edge over us!

sarcasm off

I don't know when German Catholics began to see their responsibility for the world (I would think it probably started in the late 1950s or early 1960s) but for sure by the time I went to school in the early 1980s it had become part of the Catholic curriculum to emphasize that man's God given authority over creation included and absolutely required responsible stewardship rather than blind exploitation.

God bless.

:-)

[Treehuggindirtworshiper]

1989 is when the Episcopal Church formally began it's work on stewardship of "Earth our island home". My grand mother taught me about conservation since I can remember and I was born in 1962. Who cares who was first? But lets face it, a lot more Roman Catholics will become better stewards now that the Pope has spoken.