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BENEDICT ISN'T 'GREEN' POPE BUT HE IS A CONSERVATIVE IN TRUE USE OF THAT TERM

It seems out of place, the expression "going green." Now, they say Benedict is the "green Pope." You see this is Time and Newsweek.

The Pope is not "green" -- which conjures images of Greenpeace and the far political left.

He is a conservationist. He is a conservative. He is pro-life -- all kinds of life, and especially in favor of protecting the most vulnerable human life.

All this presents a balanced picture -- which is quite in contrast to society at large, where liberals are pro-environment but also anti-life and where political conservatives (one must distinguish those) are pro-life but often treat the ecology as if its is in competition or even -- as the Pope said in Sydney -- the enemy.

There is thus an imbalance and it is part of the reactionary mood of the times. Since liberals are concerned about the environment, conservatives must automatically argue against such concern. Since the same folks who would allow abortion are "green," many pro-lifers want nothing to do with the "green" movement. Some are even alarmed that a concern for the environment will lead to a move for population control -- and thus more abortions.

One can see how anyone can get bound to one far side or the other. For balance, let us follow the Pope -- who is as astute and well read as he is courageous.

Because he is concerned for the environment -- God's Creation -- he is labeled in a way that links him to liberal politicians, Hollywood stars, and radical groups.

No one could seriously call him a liberal, and yet this Pope of surprise embraces any number of so-called "liberal" issues (including social and economic justice).

Really, they are not "liberal" issues (for example, caring for the poor) but profoundly Catholic ones.

A huge problem is that America is now talk-show driven, following hosts because those hosts are conservatives and against homosexual right and abortion.

We share that aspect of "conservatism." But is it conservative, at the same time, to dismiss the damage we do to the ecology as irrelevant (as long as our extravagant standard of living remains intact) and support the huge corporations who do so much of the destruction (especially in the way of genetic modification and toxic waste)?

Global warming has been headlined as the main ecological issue when in fact there are dozens of such issues, many of which are far better supported, such as the massive extinction of certain fish species and the contamination of even the remote Pacific with plastic.

There are parts of the ocean that take seven days to reach by boat but where one can see plastic traffic cones and assorted other waste float by.

Is it wrong to be against that?

Few are those radio hosts who have gone out into the field and actually investigated plentiful cases of kids born with birth defects due to their poisonous environment, or who have cancer, or are not born to begin with (chemicals, especially from petroleum products, cause many miscarriages around the world).

So he isn't the "green Pope."

He is simply a Christian.

He is simply a Catholic.

He is pro-life.

And he is a conservative.

When it comes to conserving God's Creation, we would all be wise to follow Benedict before we do media hosts who are most concerned with conflicting matters.

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