Posted on 11/20/2022 6:35:19 PM PST by marshmallow
VATICAN CITY — The centuries’ old silver fir tree that had been destined to become the centerpiece Christmas decoration in St. Peter’s Square will now live, perhaps to see another century.
Forest service rangers arrived at the scene — a mountain grove in central Italy’s Monte Castel Barone — Nov. 14 to alert workers to halt preparations for felling the tree.
When it emerged back in 2019 that the small village of Rosello in Italy’s central Abruzzo region was donating the tree to the Vatican for 2022, local activists started flagging problems, such as the lack of transparency concerning the donation and the failure to carry out an environmental impact study.
Dario Rapino, a lawyer and nature photographer, even wrote to Pope Francis in 2020, pointing to his encyclical “Laudato Si’ on Care for Our Common Home” and the importance of avoiding any unnecessary human impact on the environment, according to local media reports.
Even the World Wildlife Fund put out a statement Nov. 7 saying, “cutting a tree of this size in the midst of a climate crisis is a debatable decision,” which required “greater transparency.”
However, it wasn’t until Rapino recently tracked down the 98-foot-tree, that he discovered it was not located in Rosello, much less in the region of Abruzzo, but was, in fact, in a protected area in the nearby region of Molise in the township of Agnone, according to a report Nov. 12 by ChietiToday. The tree’s size, he said, also put it at around 200 years old.
(Excerpt) Read more at therecordnewspaper.org ...
Isn’t Rome too far south to enjoy a pagan decoration?
Does the Pope speak German or Austrian?
We’ve got three major developments underway within five miles of our house. I’d bet they hauled out 500 trees that size, maybe 1,000. I’m sure the land owners would have been pleased as punch to donate a tree.
Disgusting. In old Catholic Italy the community would have considered this an honor and a point of civic pride.
So much for those mafia guys everyone prattles on about.
The environmentalist would be toast if that was actually a thing.
This is one of my old stomping grounds, my father was born in a small village right in the middle of these towns. Palena is Perry Como’s hometown, we used to go over there for lunch sometimes. Agnone is a beautiful small city with Italy’s oldest and still operating bell factory (1,000+ yrs). I found a Black Madonna there too.
Great story. LOVE IT!
Local jurisdictions and fights over such are constant events there. The area was settled by ancient Samnites, the only tribe Rome never conquered. Later there were hundreds of feudal villages ruled by “Dukes”. Local govt power is a matter of honor there.
This wasn’t about a tree. It was about who got to call the shots regarding the tree. The writer is using the story to push his/her agenda, which is irrelevant.
Ping me when you’re telling stories. I enjoy them so.
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