5 reasons the Pope should eat vegan in Philly

OPINIONS are swirling about the pope's upcoming Philly visit for the World Meeting of Families - what will happen, what may happen, what should happen.

I have just one point: The pope should eat vegan while in Philadelphia. Here's why.

1. We want the pope to stay healthy. Pope Francis has made huge strides in bringing the papacy into the 21st century. But he's 78 and has spoken ominously about being called home early, and that's not what anyone wants. We're hoping for a John Paul II tenure (27 years, until he's 100).

Eating vegan may not be a cure-all, but a whole-foods, plant-based diet can reverse heart disease, and offers an array of health benefits. (Catch the documentary "PlantPure Nation" at the Bryn Mawr Film Institute at 7 tonight.)

Kudos, then, to Aramark, which is supplying food to pope events. Aramark just announced a push for healthier food, with a greater emphasis on fruits and vegetables. Spokesperson David Freireich said that Sunday's Parkway event will include a vegan option - no exact details, but "largely produce-based."

2. The pope's not afraid to try new things. A lot of popes, frankly, were real sticks-in-the-mud about change. But this guy? First Jesuit pope, first "Francis," first Southern Hemisphere pope, first Western Hemisphere pope, first pope to tweet and first pope to have pizza delivered to him in his popemobile. For him, sampling Philly vegan fare is a piece of cake (especially if he stops by Sweet Freedom on South Street.)

Why not first vegan pope, too? It would fit right in.

3. He's a bridge-builder. Rather than stick with a parochial notion of spirituality, this pope has sought common ground, both within his own faith (the Orthodox churches) and across the aisle (he's celebrated his strong Jewish ties with acts such as officially observing Rosh Hashanah). Calling for more interreligious dialogue, he's actually used the term "building bridges."

Thing is, the avoidance of animal products is common to ancient (and some modern) versions of many religious disciplines. According to my research, some sacred Catholic days call for vegan or near-vegan eating. Both Hebrew and Muslim law spotlight the avoidance of different animal products - Hindu, too.

Skip all animal products, and the pope instantly builds a bridge.

That cross-cultural impulse is easy in our town, whose oldest vegan restaurant, New Harmony, in Chinatown, is also certified kosher. So is one of the newest, Miss Rachel's Pantry, in South Philly. Kosher-certified VGE, in Bryn Mawr, is just a couple of towns away from St. Charles Borromeo Seminary, where Pope Francis will be based. Near-vegan venues Mama's Vegetarian (100 percent kosher) and Govinda's (Hare Krishna) also offer a wide variety of spiritually nourishing foods that easily cross borders, while tasting great.

And, though everyone will direct the Pope to a favorite haunt for a cheesesteak, kosher-certified Blackbird Pizzeria has the definitive item - plus incredible vegan varieties of that current papal favorite, pizza!

4. He named himself after the patron saint of animals. Saint Francis of Assisi famously preached to birds and said of animals that "not to hurt our humble brethren is our first duty" and that our next is "to be of service to them wherever they require it." Taking the pope's namesake at his word means being vegan, as animal foods can't be produced without hurting them.

It must be pointed out, though, that the evidence that Saint Francis himself lived by this ideal is scant.

Pope Francis' encyclical, Laudato sí, garnered headlines for talking about climate change. But it also stated that "it is contrary to human dignity to cause animals to suffer or die needlessly." Pope Francis repeatedly called for a new balancing of animals' interests with those of humans and declared obsolete the concept "that other creatures are completely subordinated to the good of human beings, as if they have no worth in themselves and can be treated as we wish," and he condemned as non-Biblical "a tyrannical anthropocentrism unconcerned for other creatures."

In other words, thinking of animals as tools and property to be used and exploited needlessly is archaic and should be abandoned. OK, good point - all that remains is to live it!

5. Really? Travel 4,358 miles to Philadelphia and miss Vedge?

Let's cut to the chase, Your Holiness. Vedge isn't just the restaurant with the best food in Philly, according to 5,000 Zagat survey respondents. It's also, as a globetrotting vegan journalist told me under his breath, "possibly the best vegan restaurant anywhere." And its owners, Rich Landau and Kate Jacoby have already prepped two perfect dishes for your meal, as teased out by Marilyn D'Angelo, at NewsWorks.

Landau generated an eggplant braciole that fits with the cuisine of central Italy, combined with a Sicilian salsa verde, while Jacoby offered potato pierogies with a Latin twist. Obviously, you don't have to stick to these custom creations; everything at Vedge is fantastically fitting for the palate of the top prelate on the planet.

Now, I realize il papa is a man of simple tastes, who might prefer to spend all day sipping Yerba mate (which you can get at Grindcore House cafe) or chomping on a soft pretzel (not all are vegan, but Center City Pretzel Company's are).

Still, you should take some time out to visit Vedge and encounter food that's fun, forward-looking and dedicated to peace and fairness, much like your own pontificate.

You may think I'm exaggerating, but one bite will make you a believer.

* V-news to use: Vegstock: A Moving Vegan Festival takes place 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Sept. 12 in Millville, N.J., and will feature nutrition experts, health and fitness aficionados, scholars and activists-plus great vegan food. More info at: movingvegan.com.