Vatican Christmas tree wreathed in controversy over environmental objections

Vatican City, Nov 21, 2024 / 12:30 pm

The Vatican was not rocking around the Christmas tree on Thursday after a 95-foot Norway spruce from northern Italy became wreathed in controversy this fall.

An online petition posted to change.org in mid-October garnered over 53,000 signatures in protest of the evergreen being chopped down, arguing it contradicts Pope Francis’ promotion of protection for the environment.

Despite the opposition to its removal, the tree arrived as scheduled in St. Peter’s Square at 7 a.m. on Nov. 21 but was left to lie mysteriously on the truck bed well past sunset. As of publication, the spruce has still not been placed on its base.

The petition’s open letter to Pope Francis and Vatican and local Italian officials lamented the “solely consumerist practice of using live trees for ephemeral use, for mere advertising purposes and a few ridiculous selfies.”

It drew attention to the pope’s writings on care for creation and the importance of having respect for nature.

The letter, drafted by the wildlife protection association Bearsandothers, also argued that the Christmas tree is a pagan tradition that has nothing to do with Christ’s birth.

The petition also expressed opposition to the estimated 60,000 euros (about $63,000) of expenses incurred by the city of Ledro, in northern Italy, which donated the main Norway spruce and about 40 other trees to the Vatican.

“We are asking your help,” the letter said, “to send a strong message of reflection on the importance of valuing and respecting the role of the plant world in the anthropocentric era of increasingly dramatic climate anomalies.”

The Vatican said in a September press release that the nearly 100-foot spruce for St. Peter’s Square was selected “with respect to sustainability.” The trees chosen are more mature trees, it noted, arguing that their removal is in line with natural replacement.

The tree comes from nearby the small town of Ledro, which is close to Lake Garda and Lake Ledro in one of Italy’s northernmost provinces.

Smaller trees from the same area and decorated by the citizens of Ledro, and other towns in Italy, Germany, and the Czech Republic, will also be displayed in Vatican City buildings.

According to recent Vatican custom, the Christmas tree and a large Nativity scene displayed beside it will remain in St. Peter’s Square through Jan. 12, 2025, the feast of the Baptism of the Lord.

The tree-lighting ceremony and unveiling of the Nativity scene are scheduled for Dec. 7.