An immense tree, a “Green giant”, of 30 meters and 2 centuries. It has withstood wars and storms, but now it could end up decorating St. Peter’s Square.
From there, from the beautiful Val di Ledro, to Passo Nota, a few kilometers from Lake Garda, various Trentino environmentalist associations are determined to thwart this (repetitive) pontifical plan and to ensure that the tree is not cut down this year for become the Pope’s Christmas decoration. The people of Ledro, in fact, are not into it and have therefore also written to Pope Francis to avoid “this anachronistic massacre” and launched a petition.
The municipality of Ledro and the Governorate of the Vatican they agreed to sawing 40 fir trees, even centuries-old, about thirty meters high, pick them up with a large helicopter and drag them in agony to Rome: expected expenditure of 60 thousand euros of public resourcesthe petition reads.
The associations that launched the petition also refer to Francis’ encyclicals in which respect for the environment is called for:
We ask His Holiness to avert this cut and to come to us in the Valley to visit the beauty of this place – says Lorenzo Vescovi, of the Quaranta e tre mio Committee (forty like the trees donated by the Municipality of Ledro to the Vatican and three million like the number of trees cut down in Italy every year for Christmas). Why not think about creating a permanent artistic tree with wood deriving from trees fallen due to climatic events, as was done in Molveno with the Bear or the Vaia Dragon on the Cimbrian Plateau? A possible message to this effect from the pontiff would truly be a sign of change.
The Christmas tree tradition in the Vatican began way back in 1982 Since then, every year a fir tree has been donated, coming from a region of Italy or another European country. The gift is often a source of pride (Renato Girardi, the mayor of Ledro, in fact, does not agree with his fellow citizens…), but it is no longer a contradiction to talk about the fight against climate change and then perpetuate traditions like this, which do they require the elimination of such an ancient and symbolic tree?
The petition, which could be signed by November 4, collected 49 thousand signatures. Now we are waiting to know if those directly involved have desisted from this absurd choice.
