 |
Pope
Francis has outlawed the sale of cigarettes at the Vatican
|
Pope
Francis has outlawed the sale of cigarettes at the Vatican in a bid to lead by
example on healthy living.
"The
Holy Father has decided that the Vatican will cease to sell cigarettes to
employees as of 2018," the Vatican said in a statement on Thursday.
"The
reason is very simple: the Holy See cannot contribute to an activity that
clearly damages the health of people," it said, adding that smoking claims
more than seven million lives every year, according to the World Health
Organization.
"Although
the cigarettes sold to employees and pensioners in the Vatican at a reduced
price are a source of revenue for the Holy See, no profit can be legitimate if
it puts lives at risk," it added.
Francis,
who has only one lung, does not smoke. He has let the locals keep their other
guilty pleasure, tax-free alcohol.
The
cigarettes and booze are sold in a luxury duty-free shop, opened in 2003 in
what was once the Vatican's magnificent railway station but is now home to
everything from designer handbags and shoes to flat-screen televisions.
Only those
with a pass -- Vatican employees or pensioners -- can shop there, and many pick
up goods, food and even fuel inside the city for Italian friends on the other
side of the tiny state's imposing walls.
No comments:
Post a Comment