Three Hail Marys and oh yes, go green

In case you needed another reason to go green...

If you've recently found yourself turning down your thermostat, trading out your old-fashioned incandescent lightbulbs, or cutting back on your car travel, then you already know that reducing emissions is not just good for the environment, but is a major boon for your pocketbook. However, according to the Vatican, it might just save your soul.

The Catholic Church recently declared that polluting the environment is not just a political and economic no-no, but is also a major sin. Last weekend, Monsignor Gianfranco Girotti, second-in-command of the Apostolic Penitentiary, released a list of seven activities that the Catholic Church now officially considers to be sinful. The fourth item on the list, "polluting the environment," seems a natural outgrowth of several statements by Pope Benedict over the last year.