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The pope goes green
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Photo: Reuters
Yesterday, July 7, Pope Benedict released his much-awaited encyclical on the economy. As anticipated, it was filled with commentary about poverty, social responsibility, and, of course, abortion. However, nestled in the encyclical’s 144 pages was an admonition that “the environment is God's gift to everyone” and must not be squandered. The pontiff even specifically referred to renewable energy, stating: “The fact that some States, power groups and companies hoard non-renewable energy resources represents a grave obstacle to development in poor countries…. The international community has an urgent duty to find institutional means of regulating the exploitation of non-renewable resources, involving poor countries in the process, in order to plan together for the future.”
Benedict expanded on the energy problem:
“The technologically advanced societies can and must lower their domestic energy consumption, either through an evolution in manufacturing methods or through greater ecological sensitivity among their citizens. It should be added that at present it is possible to achieve improved energy efficiency while at the same time encouraging research into alternative forms of energy.”
These are not just empty words for the Vatican. Just recently the Vatican installed photoelectric panels on the 5,000-square-meter roof of the Paul VI Hall. And, according to a story on Bloomberg.com, the next step is for the Vatican to build Europe’s largest solar power plant, on a 740-acre site near the medieval village of Santa Maria di Galeria, at a cost of 660 million dollars. The proposed solar plant would generate enough energy to power all of Vatican City’s 40,000 households, and then some—eventually it would export electricity to the surrounding nation.
According to Cardinal Giovanni Lajolo, Vatican City’s governor, “Now is the time to strike…. One should take advantage of the [economic] crisis to try and develop these renewable-energy sources to the maximum, which in the long run will reap incomparable rewards.” In an effort to reduce its greenhouse emissions, the Vatican is also considering an electric popemobile, and heating and cooling the Vatican cafeteria with a solar heating system.
When one thinks of the hot-button issues facing Catholicism, the environment probably doesn’t top the list. However, last year Pope Benedict listed pollution as one of seven “social” sins, and his attention appears to be turned to the earth as well as the heavens. Certainly much of Benedict’s recent encyclical is theoretical in scope, and it’s dubious if the pope can affect real economic change. But we can all find inspiration in the Vatican’s concrete efforts in the area of renewable energy. Who knows? While Benedict’s encyclical may fail to fix the global economic crisis, it may just motivate the faithful to purchase energy-efficient light bulbs.
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