Community stands up: no Christmas tree for Pope Francis

Rome (Italy) - The Pope (87) and the Vatican had actually already decided on a Christmas tree from northern Italy to decorate St. Peter's Square during the Christmas season. But now the Vatican has to make do without a tree.

The Christmas tree is flown to St. Peter's Square by helicopter every year, this year it would have cost 60,000 euros!
The Christmas tree is flown to St. Peter's Square by helicopter every year, this year it would have cost 60,000 euros!  © IMAGO / Future Image

According to reports from"Il Sole 24 Ore", the Vatican chose a 200-year-old, 30-metre-high Norway spruce from the mountain community of Ledro, which lies north of Lake Garda.

When the decision was announced, some residents of the community launched a petition against the deforestation of the tree on the "change.org" website. This petition collected over 40,000 signatures in a very short space of time.

The petition called on the Vatican to reverse its decision to cut down the tree.

The initiators also referred to environmental protection and that the Pope should send a signal against the millions of trees that are cut down in the run-up to Christmas.

For comparison: According to "Spektrum der Wissenschaft", around 30 million Christmas trees are felled every year in Germany alone.