” “"Water is not a purely economical thing": it is repeated in the Message that the Bishops Commission for social problems and employment, justice and peace, along with the Bishops Commission for ecumenism and dialogue, have written for the 2nd Day for the protection of the Creation, that the Italian Church is going to celebrate on 1st September. The message, disclosed today, is called: "The Lord your God gives you rain in the right measure, for you He makes water fall" (J 2,23) and is focussed on water, “due to the weight of the water crisis that is affecting many populations", with nearly "one and a half billion people” having no access to water. The Bishops ask to "lay down water policies that can really fight waste and inefficiencies, while promoting a responsible use by the industries (manufacturing, agriculture …). As well as "protecting the availability of clean water from all forms of pollution", doing "all they can to reduce the extent of climate change". The celebration of the Day, they explain, aim at "testifying the importance" that the Church attaches "to the gift of Creation and to remind Christians and all men of the task that God entrusted to mankind: to protect and tend the earth like a garden". It is also a response to the many recent appeals made by Benedict XVI for the protection of the environment. ” “
