On the occasion of the Season of Creation, which began on September 1 and will end on October 4, we welcome the invitation of Pope Leo XIV to pray during this time "for the protection of water".
Water is a gift, a source of life and a sign of God's grace, but it is also a reality that calls us to responsibility and solidarity. While millions of people around the world still do not have safe access to drinking water, the prayer requested by the Pope invites us not to remain indifferent and to recognize that the care of creation is inseparable from the care of people, especially the most vulnerable.
"The Pope's intention is in the face of a reality confirmed by international data. According to the World Health Organization (WHO)/United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) Joint Monitoring Programme (JMP) report Progress on Household Drinking Water, Sanitation and Hygiene 20002024, presented in August 2025, 2.1 billion people still do not have access to safely managed drinking water – for example due to intermittent, insufficient, too expensive or too remote access – and 106 million people depend directly on rivers, lakes or other untreated surface water. »
As consecrated women, religious communities and people committed to the mission of the Church, we are called to transform prayer into a more attentive look at reality and concrete choices of simple life style, justice and care for our common home. (Excerpt from UISG and Vatican news 1.09.2026)
