Stop wearing fur, activists tell Pope

Pope Benedict XVI adjusts his ''camauro'', a red velvet cap trimmed with white ermine fur, as he arrives to lead his weekly Wednesday general audience in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican in this December 28, 2005 file photo. Animal rights activists in Italy have asked Pope Benedict to stop wearing fur in a sign of respect for the ''sacredness of all living species''.

ROME (Reuters) - Animal rights activists in Italy have asked Pope Benedict to stop wearing fur in a sign of respect for the "sacredness of all living species".

The Pope, who turns 80 on Monday, has been seen over the past winter donning a red velvet hat trimmed with white ermine fur, known as "camauro".

The hat was commonly worn by popes in the medieval period to keep their heads warm on cold days and it featured on many paintings at the time.

On special occasions, such as official audiences with heads of state, Pope Benedict also wears a red cape trimmed with white fur.

The Anti-Vivisection league (LAV) made its appeal ahead of an April 22 visit by Benedict to Pavia, a northern town where Italy's best-known fur makers are based.

"We call on the Holy Father to make a choice of high religious and ethical significance by not wearing fur on this occasion, nor in the future," the LAV said in a statement on Friday.