The Importance of Clean Water

One of the environmental concerns that appears to trouble Pope Benedict the most is the need for clean, potable water. Not long after his investiture as pontiff, the first-ever Working Group on Water and the Environment was sponsored by the Pontifical Academy of Sciences. The scientists and ethicists who met at the Vatican in November 2005 examined both the conservation of water and its equitable distribution as well as its impact on world politics as resources become increasingly scarce. This concern for water carried over to the Vatican’s participation in the Fourth World Water Forum in Mexico City. Although the Vatican presentation was penned by the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, its central statement is aligned with Benedict’s personal philosophy and there is no doubt he is supportive of its message.