hting the damage caused by the absence or inefficiency of water services among those most in need.
Thinking of those who today lack such a substantial commodity as water, as well as of the generations that will succeed us, I invite all to work to end the pollution of seas and rivers, of underground streams and springs, through educational work to promote change in our lifestyles, and the search for goodness, truth, beauty and communion with others for the common good. Let these be the approaches that determine the choices of consumption, savings and investments (cf. St. John Paul II, Encyclical Centesimus annus, no. 36).
"Valuing water", as this year's theme says, therefore means changing our own language. Instead of talking about its “consumption", we should refer to its sensible "use", in accordance with our real needs and respecting those of others. For “those who enjoy a surplus of water yet choose to conserve it for the sake of the greater human family” - the Holy Father tells us - “have attained a moral stature that allows them to look beyond themselves” (Encyclical Fratelli Tutti, no. 117). If we live with sobriety and place solidarity at the centre of our criteria, we will use water rationally, without wasting it uselessly, and we will be able to share it with those who need it most. For example, if we protect wetlands, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, enable smallholder irrigation and improve resilience in rural areas, low-income communities, who are the most vulnerable in terms of water supply, would benefit and be lifted out of their prostration and neglect.
"Valuing water" can also mean recognising that food security and water quality are closely linked. Indeed, water plays an essential role in all aspects of food systems: in production, processing, preparation, consumption and, in part, also in the distribution of food. Access to safe water and adequate sanitation reduces the risk of food contamination and the spread of infectious diseases, which affect people's nutritional status and health. Many, if not most, food-borne diseases are in fact caused by the poor quality of the water used in their production, processing and preparation.
In order to guarantee fair access to water, it is vital to act without delay, to put an end once and for all to its waste, commodification and contamination. Collaboration between states, the public and private sectors, as well as an increase in initiatives by intergovernmental bodies, is more necessary than ever. There is also an urgent need for binding legal coverage and systematic and effective support to ensure that drinking water reaches all parts of the world in adequate quantity and quality.
Let us make haste, therefore, to give drink to the thirsty. Let us correct our lifestyles so that we do not waste and pollute. Let us become protagonists of that goodness which led Saint Francis of Assisi to describe water as a sister "who is very humble, and precious and chaste"! (Canticle of Creatures: FF263). These are resolutions I entrust to the Almighty to help us to carry them out to the best of our ability.
From the Vatican, 22 March 2021
Cardinal Pietro Parolin,
Secretary of State to His Holiness
Bulletin of the Holy See Press Office, 22 March 2021
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