Berlin, Germany - The head of the Catholic church in Germany called on his compatriots on Thursday to give up their beloved cars for Lent to make a personal contribution to preventing climate change.
Cardinal Karl Lehmann said in Bild newspaper on Thursday that the period of 40 days before Easter in the Christian calendar "requires us to rethink our lifestyle."
"Far too often, we do things that are harmful to our fellow citizens and the environment.
"Let us use Lent to make a personal contribution to improving our climate by having car 'fast.'
"Preserving creation is a duty which falls to all of us," Lehmann, the chairman of the German bishops' conference, said.
Germany -- home to luxury car makes BMW, Mercedes and Porsche -- this week announced plans to tax vehicles not by engine size, but according to how much carbon dioxide (CO2) and other dangerous emissions they produce.
A UN report said this month that global warming was almost certainly caused by humans, and carbon pollution disgorged this century would disrupt the climate system for a thousand years to come.