One of my favorite blogs is by Religious News Service <http://religionnews.com/index.php?/rnsblog> and every day I find interesting, amazing and sometimes amusing items there. This is one of the entries I found myself grinning over:
"Italy's animal rights groups are launching a protest, with a petition drive to get Pope Benedict XVI to stop wearing fur during Vatican ceremonies.
"We just want to ask him in a message of love and peace to give a strong signal towards the protection of animals and the environment through a small but very significant personal sacrifice," Lorenze Croce, chairman of the Italian Association for the Defence of Animals and the Environment, told an Italian news agency.
Benedict has taken to wearing a number of traditional religious garments, including a small red velvet cape with a white ermine border, which he wears in winter along with a hat the same color, says AFP."
Later in the blog there is a very interesting article about the pope's use of some very old, very traditional garments dating back many centuries.
I know both articles are serious subjects, but I only laughed at the one. I can't put my finger on what exactly I found so funny. I considered in light of all the serious things going on in the world how insignificant this request was; I considered how difficult it might be for someone to throw paint on the Pope's furry hat and cape; and I considered it might be the picture that accompanied the story: he does look a bit like a jolly old Christmas figure but of course he has been referred to as the "bulldog" pope because of his past service in making sure that every "t" was crossed and every "i" was dotted.
I tend to think, hopefully but not irreverently, that it is the latter. But whichever, RNS blog was a very good read today.
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