Padre Pio and solar power

A report in the Daily Telegraph says that a 200ft statue of Padre Pio is to be built which will have the ability to trap sunlight and convert it to energy. Well, I have to start somewhere, so I'll start with the statue itself.
200 ft high? Grandiose and tasteless come to mind. Perhaps also something about graven images. Yes, I know the Church has statues and has a good case for that; but 200 feet? ( Hope I don't run out of question marks). When does the messenger become more important than the message; or more to the point than the sender of the message. There is an unhealthy feeling of adoration and cultism around some of the Padre Pio activity. No human being is worthy of such representation, particularly if that human being is allegedly a humble servant of God, dedicated to a life of poverty. Even St Francis doesn't have anything like this and I wonder if he would approve. No, I don't need to wonder. Why is money being raised for this when ......... well is there any point listing more worthy reasons for this 21st century version of Franciscan begging.

So onto solar power. I suppose this is a PC nod to the climate change agenda. Maybe if the statue has a practical function then it might be easy to get permission to build, make it more generally acceptable etc. But, if you want a solar energy provider, don't mix it up with spirituality. I know someone will be saying that the green agenda, saving our planet etc. is a perfect practical, Christian response and maybe it is. But there is also the danger that linking with the pseudo-religion of some environmentalists and their Gaia worship is far from Christian. We do not need to bend the knee to environmentalism if we are living a truly Christian life. We know God created all things, holds all things in being and gave man dominion over his Creation. It's not something new as it is for the climate change lobby. True we could have done a better job but we don't need to be told how to be good stewards. Like so many of the wonderful truths of our faith we just need to work harder at being better in making them reality.

So, if you want another statue of Padre Pio, then keep it life-size; or better still slightly smaller. And if you want a solar power, build a windmill.