Environmental campaigners in Italy’s northern Trentino province have started a campaign to stop the felling of a 200-year-old fir tree intended to form the centrepiece of the Vatican’s Christmas decorations. The Vatican’s Christmas tree tradition began in 1982 and ever since then a fir is donated each year, either from a region in Italy or another European country. They have written an open letter to Pope Francis asking him to stop what they described as “a useless sacrifice”. However, Renato Girardi, the mayor of Ledro, hit back, telling the Italian press that he had not expected “such malice”. “The fir tree that will be removed is part of one of the lots that must be felled for the correct cultivation of the forest,” he said.

Source: The Guardian November 13, 2024 22:31 UTC