Pope says ecological protection of Amazon region urgently needed

Published: 2006-07-20

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- The Amazon region is under threat, and protection of the ecological balance of this "magnificent work" of God is urgently needed, Pope Benedict XVI said in a message to experts meeting in Brazil to help safeguard the Amazon River. The pope's message, released July 20 by the Vatican, was addressed to Ecumenical Orthodox Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople, who developed an organization called Religion, Science and Environment. Since its founding in 1995, the nonprofit organization has convened six meetings bringing together scientists, environmentalists, policymakers and religious leaders to look at ways to protect the world's major bodies of water and foster environmental ethics. The papal message was sent on the occasion of the sixth symposium, held July 13-20 in Brazil's Amazon region on a flotilla of boats winding along the Amazon river system. Pope Benedict said the beauty and grandeur of the Amazon basin's rivers and forests "speak of God and his magnificent work for the benefit of humanity" and represent "an open book whose pages reveal the mystery of life."

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