And he practices what he preaches:
Pope's Pentling residence
to generate solar power
for communal use
Translated from
the 7/30/09 issue of
Joseph Ratzinger's house in the Regensburg suburb of Pentling will soon be a solar energy source to help provide energy requirements for a communal energy pool, according to the dpa German news agency. {I have not yet tried to look for the original report.]
For this purpose, the house, which was built for the future Pope in 1970 when he was a faculty member at the Unviersity of Regensburg, will be fitted with some 54 square meters of solar energy panels which will be able to produce about 5,800 kilowatts a year
Any income share accruing to the Pope from the distribution of the solar energy would go to an association that supports educational training for disadvantaged youth.
The Pope last visited his house on September 13, 2006, during his apostolic visit to Bavaria. His parents and sister Maria are buried in a nearby cemetery.
Before he became Pope, Ratzinger, as Archbishop of Munich and then as Prefect of the CDF, came home to Pentling at least twice a year - during the August summer vacation, and for Christmas and New Year.
As a professor at Regensburg, he said Mass at the local church daily and preached on Sundays. He is officially registered as a resident of Pentling since November 6, 1969. He was made an honorary citizen in 1987 on the occasion of his 60th birthday.
[Modificato da TERESA BENEDETTA 31/07/2009 04:04]