VATICAN CITY, 10 SEP 2009 (VIS) - This morning in the Apostolic Palace of Castelgandolfo Benedict XVI received a group of sponsors of the Holy See's Pavilion at "Expo Zaragoza 2008", an international exposition held in the Spanish city of Zaragoza in 2008 on the theme: "Water and sustainable development". The group included Francisco Vazquez, Spanish ambassador to the Holy See, and Archbishop Manuel Urena Pastor of Zaragoza.
In his address the Pope noted how the pavilion, which "was one of the most visited and appreciated, contained an important display of the priceless artistic, cultural and religious heritage of the Church. The aim of this initiative was to offer the many visitors an opportunity to reflect upon the significance and primordial importance water has for human life".
"By participating in the exposition", the Holy Father explained, "the Holy See wished to demonstrate not only the urgent need constantly to defend the environment and the natural world, but also to discover its more profound spiritual and religious dimension. ... The truth is that when God, through creation, gave man the keys to the earth, He wanted him to use this great gift responsibly and respectfully, making it fruitful. ... In this context it is important to reiterate the close relationship between protection of the environment and respect for the ethical requirements of human nature, because 'when human ecology is respected within society, environmental ecology also benefits'".
Pope Benedict XVI concluded his remarks by entrusting the promoters of the Holy See pavilion to Our Lady of the Pillar "at whose feet flow the abundant waters of the River Ebro".
AC/ENVIRONMENT/EXPO 2008 VIS 20090910 (280)
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