(Vatican Radio) There is serious concern in Italy as soaring temperatures and a lack of rain deplete vital water sources which could lead to water rationing for Romans.Listen to this report: Walk along the cobbled streets of Rome and you’re sure to find a fountain which supplies fresh drinking water to Romans and tourists alike. These fountains don’t have taps to stem the flow and now risk being turned off as searing heat and a lack of rain dry up vital water sources.Meteorologists say that Italy had one of its driest springs in 60 years and rainfalls in some parts of the country have been 80 per cent below normal. Rome had just 26 days of rain in the first six months of this year.It’s a disaster for agriculture in the country which has so far suffered 2 billion euro worth of damage. And if that weren’t enough, Italy is also grappling with a series of forest fires which also need gallons of water in order to be brought under control.The lack of w...
(Vatican Radio) There is serious concern in Italy as soaring temperatures and a lack of rain deplete vital water sources which could lead to water rationing for Romans.
Listen to this report:
Walk along the cobbled streets of Rome and you’re sure to find a fountain which supplies fresh drinking water to Romans and tourists alike. These fountains don’t have taps to stem the flow and now risk being turned off as searing heat and a lack of rain dry up vital water sources.
Meteorologists say that Italy had one of its driest springs in 60 years and rainfalls in some parts of the country have been 80 per cent below normal. Rome had just 26 days of rain in the first six months of this year.
It’s a disaster for agriculture in the country which has so far suffered 2 billion euro worth of damage. And if that weren’t enough, Italy is also grappling with a series of forest fires which also need gallons of water in order to be brought under control.
The lack of water in Rome and beyond has lawmakers extremely worried. The governor of the Lazio region, Nicola Zingaretti, which includes the Eternal City, spoke of the seriousness of the situation.
He said he has ordered no more water to be drawn from Lake Bracciano, which supplies some parts of the Italian capital, because the decreasing water levels pose a clear and present danger to the lakes’ aquatic life.
As the soaring temperatures continue and the country prays for rain, Romans could well see water rationing as early as this week.
Pope Francis waves while traveling by boat in Venice, Italy, for a meeting with young people at the Basilica della Madonna della Salute on April 28, 2024. Earlier in the day he met with inmates at a women's prison. / Credit: Daniel Ibañez/CNARome Newsroom, Apr 28, 2024 / 08:00 am (CNA).Pope Francis opened his one-day visit to Venice on Sunday morning with a meeting with female inmates where he reaffirmed the importance of fraternity and human dignity, noting that prison can be a place of new beginnings. "A stay in prison can mark the beginning of something new, through the rediscovery of the unsuspected beauty in us and in others, as symbolized by the artistic event you are hosting and the project to which you actively contribute," the pope said to the female inmates gathered in the intimate courtyard of the Women's Prison on the Island of Giudecca. Pope Francis left the Vatican by helicopter at approximately 6:30 in the mo...
Pope Francis prays in front of the tomb of St. Mark the Evangelist inside St. Mark's Basilica in Venice on April 28, 2024. / Credit: Daniel Ibañez/CNARome Newsroom, Apr 28, 2024 / 09:35 am (CNA).Pope Francis had a full slate of events Sunday during his day trip to Venice, a trip that tied together a message of unity and fraternity with the artistic patrimony of a city that has been a privileged place of encounter across the centuries. "Faith in Jesus, the bond with him, does not imprison our freedom. On the contrary, it opens us to receive the sap of God's love, which multiplies our joy, takes care of us like a skilled vintner, and brings forth shoots even when the soil of our life becomes arid," the pope said to over 10,000 pilgrims gathered in St. Mark's Square. Framing his homily during the Mass on the theme of unity, one of the central points articulated throughout several audiences spread across the morning, Pope Francis reminded Christians: "Remaining ...
Prayer house at San Simeone, Italy, September 2012. / Credit: Courtesy of Ricostruttori nella preghieraRome, Italy, Apr 28, 2024 / 06:00 am (CNA).Across Italy there are houses of prayer run by the Ricostruttori (Reconstructors) community, a Catholic movement dedicated to people who are far from the Church but attracted to spirituality, particularly Eastern meditation and Buddhist practices. The Reconstructors was founded in 1978 by Jesuit Father Gian Vittorio Cappelletto. "During the postconciliar period, the Church was faced with the need for new forms of evangelization and apostolate, to reach out to people who were drifting away," Don Roberto Rondanina, priest and superior of the Ricostruttori, explained to CNA. "It was a time when Eastern meditation, Hinduism, Buddhism, the New Age ... were beginning to spread in Europe." "Father Cappelletto, who lived in Turin, sought to understand the meaning of this 'flight to the East' and felt the need to find new forms of sp...