Holy hybrid, Batman! In light of news reports that Mercedes-Benz may be developing a hybrid popemobile, PETA is asking His Holiness to truly go green by riding without the hide.
 

Catholic Westminster/cc by 2.0

 
Besides being hell for cows—who are often dismembered and skinned while still conscious—leather production is also lethal to the environment. In order to prevent skins from rotting, companies use tons of toxic chemicals, including arsenic, formaldehyde, and coal-tar derivatives, that end up in nearby soil and water supplies. As we point out in our letter to the Pope, who has been outspoken about protecting the environment and animals, Mercedes-Benz offers leather-free interiors for all its cars, so making a cow- and planet-friendly popemobile shouldn't take a miracle.

The next time you're shopping for a new set of wheels, please be an angel for animals by choosing a leather-free option.
 

Written by Paula Moore

The following was first published on The Huffington Post.

As 1.5 million people cheered, Pope John Paul II was beatified by Pope Benedict XVI in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican on Sunday. The beatification, declaring Pope John Paul II as holy, is a major step toward his likely sainthood.
 

© Emirsimsek | Dreamstime.com

 
His Holiness had great compassion for animals, and traveled to Assisi, the birthplace of St. Francis, patron saint of animals, to speak on their behalf. He declared that animals “possess a soul and men must love and feel solidarity with our smaller brethren.”

A wonderful way for Catholics to honor the life of Pope John Paul II is to live with respect for animals as he requested, remembering that they are, in the words of His Holiness, “as near to God as men are.”
 

Written by Bruce Friedrich 

The Benedictine Women of Madison, Wisconsin, know a thing or two about green living. The ecumenical order's new Holy Wisdom Monastery is being called the greenest building in America after receiving the U.S. Green Building Council's highest-ever rating for sustainable construction.

Pardon me, sisters, but there's a way for you to go even greener. PETA is asking the Benedictine sisters to adopt a vegan diet and serve only vegan meals at the monastery. As most of us know by now, eating meat is mean, not green.

We also point out that Pope Benedict XVI (then Cardinal Ratzinger) has in the past spoken movingly about the plight of farmed animals. During a 2002 interview, he said that the "degrading of living creatures to a commodity seems to me in fact to contradict the relationship of mutuality that comes across in the Bible."

So what say you, sisters? Will you make the switch?

Written by Paula Moore