[GreenYes] Re: Recycle or go to Hell, says Vatican

["David Biddle" <Dbiddle@no.address>]

Title: Re: [GreenYes] Re: Recycle or go to Hell, says Vatican

This is the kind of reporting that should drive all of us crazy. No one in the Vatican said anything about recycling plastic bags. Completely made up as far as I can tell as a teaser. But many readers won’t understand that ... The article came from The Telegraph in England. Jeez.

I tracked down some other articles on the subject that were a bit more intelligent and straight journalism. There are some real questions about this public statement about adding to “these new seven deadly sins.” 

CNN wrote:

>>Father Greg Apparcel, a local priest said that the Pope may have been talking About this aspect of sin as a response to the recent "Italian confession" survey.

Apparcel also hinted that the announcement may have a wider agenda ahead of the Holy Father's trip to the United States and his speech to the United Nations.

"There is some sound going around that perhaps he is going to speak about ecology and environment, and if he does, this is kind of preparation for that," he said.<<

We really have a problem here. I’ve written about this at BlueOlives.blogspot.com. There is this tendency to boil environmental and sustainability issues down to the simple idea of recycling. When recycling becomes part of the media’s joking about the environment, and this is a clear case, the luster may well be coming off of the Green Movement. The Holy Father’s visit to the U.S. can’t come soon enough, but I bet he never once utters the word recycle. 

Db
-- 
David Biddle, Executive Director
<http://www.gpcrc.com>
Greater Philadelphia Commercial Recycling Council
P.O. Box 4037
Philadelphia, PA 19118

215-247-3090 (desk)
215-432-8225 (cell)

> From: David Jaber <djaber@no.address>
> Date: Mon, 10 Mar 2008 15:03:15 -0700
> To: Gary Liss <gary@no.address>, GreenYes <GreenYes@no.address>
> Subject: [GreenYes] Re: Recycle or go to Hell, says Vatican
>
> Source on this is the Onion, I trust?
>
>
> On Mar 10, 2008, at 1:26 PM, Gary Liss wrote:
>
> >  Apologies for Cross-Postings
> >
> >  
> > >   *Recycle or go to Hell, warns Vatican*
> > >  By Malcolm Moore in Rome
> > >  Last Updated: 12:01am GMT March 10, 2008
> > >
> > >  Failing to recycle plastic bags could find you spending eternity in Hell, the
> > >  Vatican said after drawing up a list of seven deadly sins for our times.
> > >
> > >  The seven, which include polluting the environment, were announced by Monsignor
> > >  Gianfranco Girotti, a close ally of the Pope and the head of the Apostolic
> > >  Penitentiary, one of the Roman Curia's main court.
> > >
> > >  The "sins of yesteryear" - sloth, envy, gluttony, greed, lust, wrath and pride -
> > >  have a "rather individualistic dimension", he told the Osservatore Romano, the
> > >  official Vatican newspaper.
> > >
> > >  The new seven deadly, or mortal, sins are designed to make worshippers realise
> > >  that their vices have an effect on others as well.
> > >
> > >  "The sins of today have a social resonance as well as an individual one," said
> > >  Mgr Girotti. "In effect, it is more important than ever to pay attention to your
> > >  sins."
> > >
> > >  According to Roman Catholic doctrine, mortal sins are a "grave violation of
> > >  God's law" and bring about "eternal death" if unrepented by the act of
> > >  confession.
> > >
> > >  They are far more serious than venial sins, which impede a soul's progress in
> > >  the exercise of virtue and moral good.
> > >
> > >  Mgr Girotti said genetic modification, carrying out experiments on humans,
> > >  polluting the environment, causing social injustice, causing poverty, becoming
> > >  obscenely wealthy and taking drugs were all mortal sins.  
> >  
> >
> >  Gary Liss       
> >  916-652-7850    
> >  Fax: 916-652-0485
> >  www.garyliss.com <http://www.garyliss.com/>  
> >  
> >    
>
>  
> David Jaber
> LEED AP
> Natural Logic
> 510-248-4941
> djaber@no.address
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> http://www.natlogic.com
>