Now that the issue is affecting Italians, the Catholic Church is getting into the water ownership issue in a more emotional way than before. The country has just gone to the polls, and the outcome is expected any moment, about revoking an earlier privatization of water resources.
A number of religious fasted and prayed in St. Peter's Square a few days ago, asking God for the outcome to be the revoking of the privatization. They even had a huge banner: "Lord, help us save the water!"
Franciscans have urged prayer in defence of "Sister Water."
A number of Italian dioceses have signed a statement urging voters to make water a public resource.
The Pontifical Academy of Sciences has hosted scientific study sessions on water.
The Vatican's Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church says water cannot be treated as just "another commodity among many."
"The counterargument is that private businesses would do a much more efficient job of managing water resources, especially in Italy, where corruption and incompetence have left many local systems in disarray. As a newspaper aligned with the Italian Catholic movement Communion and Liberation said, the real enemy in water distribution is waste and inadequate public services, not profits."
ReplyDeleteRead more: The Case for Water Privatization