St. Peter’s Square fountains being shut off due to drought.
ROME – The Vatican says it is shutting off all its fountains, including those in St. Peter’s Square, because of Italy’s drought.
Vatican Radio on Monday said the decision is linked with Pope Francis’s teachings on the environment.
The pope has decried wasteful practices and praised clean drinking water as vital for both people and the environment.
“The decision is in keeping with the teachings of Pope Francis, who in the encyclical Laudato Si’ recalls how the habit of wasting and throwing away things has reached unheard of levels, while clean drinking water represents a matter of primary importance because it is indispensable for human life and for supporting ecosystems on land and sea,” the report said.
Meteorologists say spring 2017 was Italy’s third-driest in some 60 years.
Eight percent of Rome’s drinking water comes from Lake Bracciano – located 20 miles north of the city – which has lost so much water, pumping has been halted.
Meanwhile, Archbishop Ivan Jurkovič, the Permanent Observer of the Holy See to the United Nations in Geneva, said the Holy See delegation will present a document on access to water to the UN in September.
The presentation will be made in conjunction with the Caritas in Veritate Foundation and the Vatican’s Dicastery for Integral Human Development.
Crux staff contributed to this report.