VATICAN CITY, 19 MAY 2008 (VIS) - In the Holy See Press Office at midday today a press conference was held to present the Holy See's Pavilion in "Expo Zaragoza 2008", an international exposition due to be held in the Spanish city of Zaragoza from 14 June to 14 September on the theme: "Water and sustainable development".
Among those participating in the press conference were Cardinal Renato Raffaele Martino, president of the Pontifical Council "Justice and Peace"; Archbishop Manuel Urena Pastor of Zaragoza; Francisco Vazquez Vazquez, Spanish ambassador to the Holy See; Juan Alberto Belloch Julbe, mayor of Zaragoza, and Emilio Fernandez-Castano commissioner general of the Expo.
In his remarks, Cardinal Martino expressed the hope that the forthcoming exposition "will provide an opportunity to explore and raise awareness of water in the life of the world. This will be important for two reasons. First, the Social Doctrine of the Church recognises the nature of water as life-giving. ... Satisfying the needs of all, especially of those who live in poverty, must guide the use of water and of the services connected with it", he said.
"The second reason takes us back to our faith. At our Baptism, water was used as a sign of cleansing and new life. ... Water is life giving - both physical and spiritual; it is through water that we are invited to share in the life of Christ".
After recalling that one of the United Nations' Millennium Development Goals is to halve, by the year 2015, the number of people unable to access safe drinking water, the cardinal concluded by highlighting the fact that "clean water and safe sanitation are acknowledged as essential elements in the lives of every human being".
The Holy See pavilion, then, aims to invite reflection upon this dual dimension of water: the divine and the human.
Visitors will follow a guided tour divided into three stages. The first presents water as the source of life; the second contains a collection of works of art associated with water and its role in the history of salvation; and the third is dedicated to the importance of solidarity, recalling that many people have only limited access to this vital element and underlining the need to work together to solve the problem.
The Holy See will also participate in other activities promoted by Expo Zaragoza 2008, her main contribution being an international ecological congress to be held from 10 to 12 July on the theme: "The ecological question: the life of man in the world". It has been organised by the archdiocese of Zaragoza and the Pontifical Council "Justice and Peace", and will be attended by numerous international experts on the subject.
OP/EXPO ZARAGOZA/MARTINO:URENA VIS 20080519 (460)
Among those participating in the press conference were Cardinal Renato Raffaele Martino, president of the Pontifical Council "Justice and Peace"; Archbishop Manuel Urena Pastor of Zaragoza; Francisco Vazquez Vazquez, Spanish ambassador to the Holy See; Juan Alberto Belloch Julbe, mayor of Zaragoza, and Emilio Fernandez-Castano commissioner general of the Expo.
In his remarks, Cardinal Martino expressed the hope that the forthcoming exposition "will provide an opportunity to explore and raise awareness of water in the life of the world. This will be important for two reasons. First, the Social Doctrine of the Church recognises the nature of water as life-giving. ... Satisfying the needs of all, especially of those who live in poverty, must guide the use of water and of the services connected with it", he said.
"The second reason takes us back to our faith. At our Baptism, water was used as a sign of cleansing and new life. ... Water is life giving - both physical and spiritual; it is through water that we are invited to share in the life of Christ".
After recalling that one of the United Nations' Millennium Development Goals is to halve, by the year 2015, the number of people unable to access safe drinking water, the cardinal concluded by highlighting the fact that "clean water and safe sanitation are acknowledged as essential elements in the lives of every human being".
The Holy See pavilion, then, aims to invite reflection upon this dual dimension of water: the divine and the human.
Visitors will follow a guided tour divided into three stages. The first presents water as the source of life; the second contains a collection of works of art associated with water and its role in the history of salvation; and the third is dedicated to the importance of solidarity, recalling that many people have only limited access to this vital element and underlining the need to work together to solve the problem.
The Holy See will also participate in other activities promoted by Expo Zaragoza 2008, her main contribution being an international ecological congress to be held from 10 to 12 July on the theme: "The ecological question: the life of man in the world". It has been organised by the archdiocese of Zaragoza and the Pontifical Council "Justice and Peace", and will be attended by numerous international experts on the subject.
OP/EXPO ZARAGOZA/MARTINO:URENA VIS 20080519 (460)
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