Vatican madness: Christmas tree cut down by the Pope under police protection!
Vatican City - A massive red spruce from a community on Lake Garda is to adorn St. Peter's Square in the Vatican this Christmas. But emotions are running high there.
Environmentalists demonstrated for days against the felling of the tree and collected tens of thousands of signatures in an internet petition for its preservation. However, all their efforts were in vain: the 29-metre-high spruce has now been felled.
The huge tree is on a truck from the municipality of Ledro in the northern Italian province of Trentino, just a few kilometers from Lake Garda, on its way to the Vatican.
Fearing renewed protests, the tree was cut down in the presence of the police. A torchlight procession for the tree had taken place in the municipality on Friday.
"The felling of fir trees for Christmas is a custom that absolutely must be abolished for the sake of the environment," say the environmentalists in Trentino. They also addressed a letter to Pope Francis (87), who, according to them, deplores the damage caused by climate change, but nevertheless continues this custom year after year.
How the Vatican reacts to Christmas tree protests
Following the felling, the Vatican responded to the protests and accusations that the tree would be felled in vain. "The choice of this spruce was determined not only by an aesthetic value, but also by an ecologically responsible one," it said in a statement.
The spruce that has now been felled is one of the trees in the Ledro forest that had to be felled anyway for the proper management of the forest.
At Christmas time, the Christmas tree and nativity scene are among the most important sights in St. Peter's Square. This year, the decorated Christmas tree will be lit up and the nativity scene inaugurated on December 7.
It is a tradition that the tree is donated. In the past four years, the tree came from Italy; in 2028, it will once again be a German tree from Deggendorf in Bavaria.