SACRAMENTO
–Bishop Jaime Soto, President of the
California Catholic Conference of Bishops, released the following statement:
During
this Season of Lent, we, the Catholic Bishops of California, invite the
Catholic community and other Californians of good will to exercise restraint in
the use of water as an expression of solidarity with those whose livelihood and
welfare are at risk due to extreme drought conditions.
This
year, Californians are in an actual desert as an historic drought looms over
us. Farmers cannot access sufficient
water to raise their crops. Fields will remain fallow. Men and women will be left standing without
work. Access for children and families
to clean, drinkable water is uncertain.
Legislators struggle to craft an equitable public policy ensuring the
State’s present and future water needs.
We are starkly reminded in this time of drought of our
dependence on the Creator. The fragile relationship between ourselves and the
creation that God has made to sustain us is threatened. Our human dignity relies on access to
water. That same human dignity is
diminished when we let this precious resource slip carelessly through our
hands. The creation entrusted to us is a
common heritage and requires us to work together as responsible stewards for
the common good, especially mindful of the weak and vulnerable. As the economic and health impact of the
drought grows those with limited resources will be the first to suffer. Wise conservation practices will mitigate
those effects. They also serve as concrete
acts of solidarity giving life and hope to other fellow Californians.
During this Lent, we pray that God opens the heavens
and lets His mercy rain down upon our fields and mountains. May we receive the grace to better conserve
our natural resources and expend our energies in works of charity so that
justice and mutual respect may flow like a river through the cities, towns and
fields of our State. Looking towards the
sacred days of Easter, we hope that God’s wisdom and joy may rise like a fountain
of living water in the hearts and minds of all Californians.
