Comedian Sarah Silverman explains her ambitiously brilliant plan to end world hunger. She calls on Ratzinger, the chief architect responsible for obfuscating many of the Catholic Church’s most horrific sexual abuse scandals, to sell the Vatican and feed the world with the money.

“We need a hero, and who is more primed to be our hero than the pope? He’s literally a caped crusader,” explains Silverman. I think that she might be on to something.

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It’s difficult not to jump on the bad-pun bandwagon and quip something about the Pope and “power from above” on this one. The Vatican has installed 2,400 solar panels atop the Paul VI Auditorium roof. The result is reported to be a 300 kilowatt-hour benefit.

Sources: CrispGreen.com; and CBSNews.com

And the Pope answered, Let there be solar energy; and there was solar energy.

On Monday, the Vatican installed solar panels on its papal audience hall, channeling the light of God toward more renewable means. The photovoltaic cells will produce enough energy to provide heat, cool air and electricity for the holy hall. The building is used when bad weather days force worshipers to take their prayers inside. An AP article news blurb says that a total of 2,700 panels will provide 300,000 kilowatt hours of energy.

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As written in that EcoWorldly blog post — St. Charles Darwin Unveiled: Catholics, Anglicans Finally Agreed on Evolution — it seems that the Vatican and the Church of England have decided that there is a place in the world for both beliefs, that Charles Darwin’s Theory of Evolution and religious faith can coexist peacefully.

I’m fascinated.

I can understand, for example, the Christian view that the premise of evolution is faulty and can’t align with the belief that God created the Earth. Science says Earth dates billions of years back. The stories of the Bible say, “Oh, no it dih-n’t!”

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Are you there, God? It’s me, global warming.

When I logged on to Facebook yesterday, I was disturbed to see that my two least favorite things (organized religion and Yahoo! Inc.) have friend requested my best buddy, the Green Movement.

And the Green Movement accepted their friend request.

In a story posted yesterday on Yahoo! Green (which I had no idea existed until 12 hours ago), the Catholics’ second-in-command declared pollution a sin.

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The Vatican may be a key link in the mass shift toward environmental sustainability. Pope Benedict XVI is concerned by "the growing recognition of the need to preserve the environment," and he’s not alone. His progressive stance on environmental responsibility could potentially bring the world’s estimated one billion or more Catholics into the fold of the environmental movement.

On Saturday, the Pope called on youth to "change the world." This was at the Vatican’s first ever eco-friendly rally, where the message was to avoid a "materialistic mentality." At the rally, attendees were given hand-powered flashlights and backpacks made of recycled materials. The Pope followed up Wednesday, saying "care of water resources and attention to climate change are matters of grave importance for the entire human family."

That’s right. The Pope is fast becoming a world leader in environmental activism. Last April, he invited scientists, bishops, politicians, and theologians to meet at the Vatican for a conference on Climate Change and Development. Even as the UN adopts a strategy on climate change, the Vatican is taking action by making the switch to solar energy with its own PV panels.

Action on the environment is coming none too soon. This year, cartographers charted new islands as they emerged from under melting arctic ice. At the rally, the Pope urged up to half a million in attendance to make courageous decisions "before it’s too late."

For environmentalists, maybe it’s time to hug your nearest Catholic as well as the trees. The Pope’s message has the power to move roughly a sixth of the world’s population to take meaningful action to protect the environment. Therefore, reaching out to the Catholic community will likely help to build tremendous momentum behind the environmental movement. Catholic community members reading this article are also encouraged to thoughtfully consider the Pope’s call to take action to benefit the environment.

Positive and meaningful environmental action can be achieved in countless ways. Just a small sampling of beneficial activities includes organizing a coastal or river cleanup, talking to children about the importance of environmental responsibility, or supplying clean energy to your home.

References and Recources:

Shun disposable love, Pope tells eco-rally | The Sydney Morning Herald

Pope calls on young people to ‘change the world’ | Yahoo! News

Pope leads Church’s first eco-friendly rally | Reuters

Pope puts focus on climate change, environment | The Age

Pope says he has ‘growing awareness’ of need to save the planet | International Herald Tribune

Take climate change seriously, Pope urges | Reuters

Pope: Save the Planet Before it’s Too Late | Christian Today

Vatican Goes Solar | GO

Pope Should Have a Chat with President Bush About Climate Change | GO

Climate Change Progress, in a Non-Binding Sort of Way | GO

United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change | UN

Buy Renewable Energy for Yourself | GO 

Riding the Wave of Renewables: Inexpensive Clean Energy for Your Home | GO 

Photo:

Pope Benedict XVI | Flickr

The 1,000 solar panels will adorn the football-sized roof of the Paul VI audience hall, one of the top energy guzzlers in the sovereign city state. The solar system will be able to provide all the heating, cooling, and lighting needs of the entire building year-round, and any extra electricity generated will be fed back into the Vatican’s grid.

Pier Carlo Cuscianna, head of the Vatican’s department of technical services and mastermind of the project, was inspired by the calls of Pope Benedict XVI and Pope John Paul II to treat the planet with respect and their warnings that global warming will effect the world’s poorest and most vulnerable people.

This isn’t the first time the Vatican has shown leadership on clean energy. In 1999, the entire lighting system of St. Peter’s Basilica was refurbished with energy-efficient lighting, which cut its energy consumption by about 40 percent.

Although Vatican City is not a signatory of the Kyoto Protocol, the Catholic News Service reports that this solar project marks “a major move” to reduce its carbon-footprint and move away from its dependence on Italy’s power grid.

CathNews
Catholic News Service