“Water is a universal, inalienable right of all” says Papal message

(16 July,2008):- “Water is a universal, inalienable right of all” says Papal message

Pope Benedict XVI called for solidarity and responsibility in national and international policies on water saying –“Water is an inalienable right, and profit should not be the only reason to protect it. There is a right to water, based on the dignity of the human person, and it is not simply an economic good”, the Pope affirmed in a message to the international exposition on "Water and Sustainable Development," presently under way in Zaragoza, Spain. The Pontiff sent his message through Cardinal Renato Martino, the Holy See's representative at the expo. The Papal message said: - "The use of water, which is regarded as a universal and inalienable right, is related to the growing and urgent needs of people, who live in poverty, taking into account the fact that limited access to potable water has repercussions on the wellbeing of an enormous number of people and is often the cause of illnesses, sufferings, conflicts and even death."

In regard to the right to water, the Pope stressed that it is "a right that is based on the dignity of the human person." The Pope also said that water is not just a material good, as it also has "religious meanings that believing humanity, especially Christianity, have developed, assigning it great value as a precious good, which always enriches man's life on this earth. It is from this perspective that positions of those, who consider and treat water only as an economic good must be carefully examined," Pope Benedict said.

A concert was held in homage to Pope Benedict XVI on Monday night in the Mozart Hall of the expo auditorium, which was attended by some 1,000 people. Proceeds from the sale of tickets will be allocated by "Manos Unidas," a Catholic charitable institution, to water management projects for agricultural purposes in India.