Access to clean water is a life issue that the church must defend

April 20, 2018
By Christiana Zenner
National Catholic Reporter

Five years ago, few people thought of the Catholic church as ecologically activist or environmentally diplomatic. But Pope Francis’ election to the papacy changed that, especially since the promulgation of his 2015 ecology encyclical, “Laudato Si’, on Care for Our Common Home.” In my analysis, fresh water is the most important point of papal reflection at the intersection of environmental and social justice. Fresh water is, in no uncertain terms, a fundamental life issue.