The Vatican: Pope Benedict XVI yesterday struck a strong "eco-friendly" note when he called on young people to take better care of the planet.
He was addressing half a million young people who had gathered at the Italian Marian shrine of Loreto for a two-day meeting devised as a run-up to the 2008 Catholic World Youth Day in Sydney.
The pope suggested that the world's water supply needed to be preserved and shared to avoid conflicts. "Before it's too late, we need to make courageous choices that will recreate a strong alliance between man and earth," he said.
"We need a decisive yes to care for creation and a strong commitment to reverse those trends that risk making the situation of decay irreversible."
Calling water a "precious" resource, the pope said: "It [water] unfortunately becomes a source of strong tensions and conflicts if it isn't shared in an equitable and peaceful manner."
At yesterday's giant Mass, the pope also issued a much more traditional message to the young, urging them to eschew pride and consumerism and to remain true to their Catholic faith, without shame or fear.
"Go against the current; don't listen to the numerous voices advocating lifestyles based on arrogance, violence, success at all costs and on getting and spending rather than being," he said. "Don't be afraid, dear friends, to choose the alternative paths indicated by true love, to opt for a sober and caring lifestyle and for sincere and true relationships, and to express a profound concern for the common good."
However, the keynote of this youth festival was the environment, with yesterday having been declared "Save Creation Day". The vast majority of the huge congregation had camped out at the Mass site on Saturday night, with organisers supplying them with an eco-friendly kit that included a prayer book printed on recycled paper, a hand-cranked battery charger, plates and cutlery made from biodegradable plastic, and bags for rubbish.
Yesterday's meeting was yet another "success" for Pope Benedict, who continues to attract consistently large crowds at his weekly general audiences at the Vatican.
This was not the first time he touched on environmental concerns.
Last week, he lamented the negative impact of recent forest fires in Italy and Greece. And during his "mountain holiday" in the Dolomite village of Lorenzago di Cadore in July, he spoke of the importance of nature to spirituality.