Santa Fe Archbishop Urges Moral Choices on Water Conservation

2:02 PM ETDeveloping

Faith Desk

In Short: Archbishop John Wester of Santa Fe calls for ethical decisions to protect water amid historic droughts and low reservoir levels.

Archbishop John Wester of Santa Fe, New Mexico, has issued a pastoral letter titled 'Uniting for Our Sacred Waters,' urging the faithful to appreciate water as a precious gift and to take moral actions to protect it.

Wester emphasized the deep connection between water and the Catholic faith, noting that water is used in blessings and rituals within churches.

He also cited Pope Francis' warnings in Laudato Si’ about water scarcity and the potential for an acute water shortage globally, urging authorities to hold polluters accountable and protect water sources.

The archbishop lamented the squandering of water in New Mexico, including the depletion of groundwater supplies and contamination from local military activity and nuclear weapons laboratories.

Wester is part of a coalition of prelates advocating for environmental protection, including Archbishop Paul Etienne of Seattle and Archbishop Peter Nakamura of Nagasaki, Japan.

What's still developing

It also comes shortly after Pope Leo XIV issued a prayer intention for the care of water.
The Holy Father described clean water as a “blessing” but noted that 25% of the world’s population lacks safe drinking water.
“Entire communities and nations need our action and our prayer for the care of water for the blessed relief,” the pope said.
The NASA Earth Observatory revealed this summer that the Elephant Butte Reservoir, the state’s largest, had shrunk to just 1.4% capacity, its lowest since 1971, driven by persistent drought conditions and early snowmelt.
“We bless ourselves with water when entering and leaving our churches,” he wrote.
“Together, let us reflect on our kinship with our waters and how we are responsible for protecting, conserving, and restoring them,” he said.

Sources

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