Beehives donated for papal summer residence
September 20, 2011
An Italian agricultural group has donated several beehives to the small working farm on the grounds of the papal residence at Castel Gandolfo.
The bees were presented to the papal household as part of the Day for the Protection of Creation. The Italian organization, Coldiretti, called attention to the pivotal role that bees play in the pollination of agricultural crops. The 8 colonies are expected to yield over 500 pounds of honey annually.
The papal residence at Castel Gandolfo is home to a model farm, which includes 24 dairy cows, 300 hens, apricot and peach orchards, a greenhouse, and an olive grove that produces about 800 gallons of olive oil each year.
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Posted by: skladach -
Sep. 20, 2011 5:51 PM ET USA
Oh great! In his book-length interview, "My Brother the Pope" (soon to be published in English) Georg Ratzinger tells of seven-year-old Joseph being stung by a bee and having a bad allergic reaction to it. Let us pray that the Holy Father has meanwhile outgrown the allergy.
