Tobacco-free zone? Pope urged to stomp out butts in Vatican City

Published: 2008-03-28

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Papal visits tend to bring out special interest groups, and one already has surfaced in the United States. Physicians and Nurses Against Tobacco, a Rhode Island-based organization, is asking Pope Benedict XVI to support its campaign for a tobacco-free society. The group's petition, posted online, appeals to the pope not only to denounce the sale and use of tobacco during his April 15-20 visit to the United States, but also to declare Vatican City the world's first tobacco-free state. "We hope to convince him to make this gesture as an example to other religious and political leaders and policymakers," the petition says. Some might dismiss the initiative as a publicity grab, but there is no denying that tobacco is a serious health issue. The World Health Organization says tobacco kills 5.4 million people a year. The Vatican used to be known as a safe haven for cigarette smokers. That changed dramatically in 2002, when Vatican City prohibited smoking in offices and public places. But employees and visitors continue to puff away in outdoor areas of the 109-acre state, and turning the Vatican into a totally smoke-free zone would probably not go down well.

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