People’s real battles should be spent on fighting poverty, hunger, disease, thirst and slavery, Pope Francis says. They should be spending money on those battles, not on fighting each other, nation against nation. Yet vast sums are spent on armaments for waging war. This is “a scandal” that just drags civilisation backward, Francis told a Read more
Turkey is ‘weaponizing water’ in parts of Syria, say humanitarian groups. They have repeatedly accused Turkey of ‘weaponizing water’ since its military takeover of the region in October 2019. Those especially affected are those living in the north of Syria. The past few years’ religious freedom for Kurds, Christians and Yazidis is reportedly again under Read more
Although water scarcity may create conflict and even war, it may generate opportunities for partnerships and collaborations to benefit especially the poor, says Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin. Read more
Water is a treasure and we must protect it, says Pope Francis. During yesterday’s General Audience in St. Peter’s Square, he especially welcomed visitors participating in the “Watershed” Conference. Timed to take place on 22 March – World Water Day – the conference focus was on “replenishing water values for a thirsty world”. Francis told Read more
Pope Francis told the Pontifical Academy of Sciences last Friday that water scarcity could lead to a third world war. He drew attention to to the latest figures on water published by the United Nations. The world should not remain indifferent to the issue, he said. “Every day, a thousand children die of illness linked Read more
Home of Compassion Soup Kitchen manager Nance Thomson reacted positively to the news the Government is moving to allow supermarkets and restaurants to be more able to donate perishable food. “Our guests will benefit significantly from the change in law”, she told CathNews. “Our chefs are very creative but will welcome the opportunity to offer Read more
When four bare-breasted feminist demonstrators interrupted a lecture by Archbishop André-Marie Leonard of Brussels and drenched him with water, the archbishop kept his head bowed calmly in prayer. Ironically, Archbishop Leonard was speaking at a conference on blasphemy and the limits of religious freedom, at the Free University of Brussels. The topless protesters, members of Read more
Maori are doing us all a big favour. Putting aside for one moment the rights and wrongs of the Government’s partial state assets sales plan, as a nation we may yet come to regard indigenous claims over water ownership and rights with some gratitude. For, if nothing else, Maori interests and determination that rights issues Read more
Over 14,000 thousand people, including 5,000 children, have been displaced from their homes by the Fiji floods. These families are sheltering in over 200 evacuation centres and many lack regular access to water, food and essential items. Water and electricity shortages across the Western Division are creating a potentially dangerous situation for thousands more. The Read more
The undersecretary of Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, Flaminia Giovanelli, told Vatican Radio that the council is preparing a new document on the right to water.
“The right to food, like the right to water, has an important place within the pursuit of other rights, beginning with the fundamental right to life,” Pope Benedict taught in his 2009 encyclical Caritas in Veritate.
“It is therefore necessary to cultivate a public conscience that considers food and access to water as universal rights of all human beings, without distinction or discrimination.”
The document will be called: Water, and essential element for life.”
Read the article...