Vladimir Putin did not get the Nobel Peace Prize, but the head of the Russian Orthodox Church hands him a consolation prize

Vladimir Putin, dictator of the mafia state called Russia, did (fortunately) not get the Nobel Peace Prize, but his humble servant, the head of the Russian Orthodox Church was quick to give him a consolation prize:

The head of the Russian Orthodox Church on Monday awarded Vladimir Putin with a prize in recognition of the president’s policies intended to make Russia a leading world power.
The award was established this year by the World Russian People’s Council, a public organization under the aegis of the Russian Orthodox Church.
Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia Kirill, who chairs the council, said the prize was to honor Putin’s efforts to turn Russia into “a powerful and strong country that has self-respect and is respected by others.”

Patriarch Kirill, who has called Putin's long rule a "miracle of God", backed Putin in last year's presidential election.

Episcopal "green" bishop Cederholm conducts service to bless solar panels

The Episcopal Church in Massachusetts seems to be a "church of many colors".

Today the "green" bishop Bud Cederholm, who has campaigned together with the likes of Bill McKibben, will bless the taxpayer subsidized, more or less useless solar panels installed on a church Dover, MA:

At 10 a.m. on Sunday May 19, St. Dunstan’s Episcopal Church will conduct a service to bless the solar panels they installed in April. The blessing will be conducted by the Episcopal Diocese’s “Green Bishop,” the Right Rev. Bud Cederholm, assisted by St. Dunstan’s rector, the Rev. Mark McKone-Sweet.

“Using solar energy decreases our use of fossil fuels, and thus our contribution to global warming,” said McKone-Sweet. “It is a way to live our faith by caring for those who will be affected by the extreme weather global warming causes.”

Two weeks ago, Rev. Victoria Pretti performed another  blessing in Milton, MA:

The transformation Sunday afternoon was part of the Episcopal church’s second annual Blessing of the Motorcycles. Motorcyclists from around the South Shore and beyond came to the church, on Adams Street near East Milton Square, to have their bikes blessed by the pastor, the Rev. Victoria Pretti.

More than 100 people, many wearing black leather vests and other riding gear, showed up for the event, where food, rock music and raffles complemented the friendly atmosphere and the revving of engines.

The Rev. Pretti and her husband, Anthony, are both riders themselves, and they belong to Star, a motorcycle group with members all over the country. Steve Franzosa of Peabody, a fellow member of Star’s Charter 400, which is based on the North Shore, came down to Milton to show support for his friends and his passion for motorcycling.

“It’s nice to see people and be in the group environment,” said Franzosa, who showed up on his Yamaha V-Star 1300. “There’s food, great music and good camaraderie.”

After saying a prayer for the protection of the many motorcycles and their owners, the Rev. Pretti walked up and down the street, blessing the bikes with holy water from a motorcycle helmet.

It is pretty clear that my vote goes to the Rev. Pretti. There is a nice photo of the Reverend sitting on her bike here. 

But moneywise the "green" bishop Cederholm's global warming scare campaign has been rather successful - there are quite a few people in the "liberal" state who are an easy prey for global warming hoaxters:

This kind of falling in love with creation and responding with passion has generated more than $320,000 for green grants to some 50 congregations these past two years, with even more getting on board this year.  And our Creation Care Season itself has been an awakening in many congregations to the many resources available for worship, education, formation and contemplation in nature, and advocacy that shapes public policy.  Numerous churches and homeowners have reduced their carbon footprint.  Acts of justice have addressed the poisoning of the environment that causes death and extinction of species. 

Greenpeace boss Naidoo wants to enlist the Pope as his ally

Even Kumi Naidoo, the boss of Greenpeace, has to admit that the environmental movement is fast losing momentum. Both governments and ordinary citizens all over are ignoring the doomsday scenarios of the eco-loonies. But Naidoo has not given up. Now he wants to enlist the Pope as his ally in the fight against "the failures of Western economic development":


Naidoo: We could do this with the help of religion. Ideally, the Pope should ask the people: Do you really think God would bury oil and coal for extraction as the only option to produce energy? There are enough other sources of energy that are way easier to harvest: sun, wind and water to name only three. .When you look at the damage and destruction that needs to take place to source dirty energy, I think instinctively a human recognizes that this is wrong.

One must only hope that there are some cooler minds among the Pope´s advisers, who will see to it, that Naidoo and his eco-fanatic colleagues are kept at arm´s length.

Der Spiegel´s much too deferential interview contains another revealing reply:


SPIEGEL ONLINE: Greenpeace is increasingly advising large companies on environmental issues. Isn't this strategy akin to sleeping with the enemy?
Naidoo: No. It would be a tactical error not to advise those companies or to avoid working with them. We welcome these relationships. Every ally for protecting the environment is important. We're better able to achieve our goals in partnership, not in opposition. And it is increasingly the case that the companies are coming to us. They hope to prevent us from starting campaigns against them. Greenpeace has long maintained a position of no permanent allies or enemies: We keep a neutral position.

Read the entire interview here

Here we have the boss of Greenpeace openly admitting what is the basis for Greenpeace´s co-operation with business leaders: Greenpeace is in a position to threaten the survival of their companies. Naidoo openly boasts that " They hope to prevent us from starting campaigns against them".

This exactly the same  "I'll make him an offer he can't refuse" business model that the soft image eco-fundamentalists at the WWF are using. 

PS


Regrettably, some of Pope Benedict XVI´s statements, seem to attract the kind of "allies" - like Greeenpeace - which are definitively not in the long term interest of the Catholic church:

In responding to climate change, Caritas Australia is guided by Pope Benedict XVI and the communities we are mandated to serve. It is the poorest of the poor who experience the worst of climate change.

In the Pope's 2010 World Day of Peace Message, he said: "... can we remain indifferent before the problems associated with such realities as climate change, desertification, the deterioration and loss of productivity in vast agricultural areas, the pollution of rivers and aquifers, the loss of biodiversity, the increase of natural catastrophes and the deforestation of equatorial and tropical regions?"

In Caritas in Veritate, Pope Benedict again speaks of an "intergenerational justice". He says, "We must recognise our grave duty to hand on the Earth to future generations in such a condition that they can worthily inhabit it and continue to cultivate it".

The papal view on climate change is echoed by the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference: "We urge Catholics as a matter of conscience to co-operate in facing global warming as one of the major issues of our time and take roles of responsibility proper to them.