Pope denounces consumerism

Ever-younger children led astray by adults, he warns
Dec 08, 2007 12:11 PM The Associated Press
VATICAN CITY – Pope Benedict XVI said today that boys and girls at ever younger ages are in danger of being deceived by adults hawking false models of happiness and leading them down ``the dead-end streets of consumerism.''
Benedict appealed to young people to be on guard about consumerism just as the Christmas holiday shopping season gears up.
Dec. 8, which the Catholic Church celebrates as the Immaculate Conception of Mary, is a national holiday in predominantly Roman Catholic Italy. Many tourists and Romans were expected to take a break from shopping later in the day to watch the pope pray before a statue of Mary near the Spanish Steps, in the heart of Rome's expensive boutique district.
http://www.thestar.com/News/article/283809
His predecessor, John Paul II, voiced repeated concern about the lure of consumerism in society.
the true meaning of christmas is being lost in consumerisim ; and i agree pope Benedict XVI many false models of happiness are leading the world down the wrong path ; as are many false "idols" in the entertainment industry and elsewere leading children down the wrong path ;