Pope champions sustainable agriculture

green meadow Norfolk ICN

Pope Benedict XVI has called for a "re-launching of agriculture" and a "profound revision of the model of global economic development" which, he feels, has undermined sustainable agriculture. Speaking on Sunday 14 November before the Vatican's midday Angelus, he suggested that "the process of industrialisation has often overshadowed the agricultural sector" and called for a "new balance between agriculture, industry and services, so that development be sustainable".

He urged the international community to develop a fresh agricultural strategy in response to worldwide poverty, hunger, pollution and rising unemployment. Young people pursuing careers in sustainable ecological agriculture were applauded.

Pope Benedict also criticised lifestyles in wealthier countries "marked by unsustainable consumption, which have damaging effects for the environment and the poor". His comments were made to coincide with the conclusion of the G20 group meeting of major economies in Korea, and on the Sunday which, in Italy, marks the end of the Harvest season.

Full statement at: www.zenit.org/article-30955?l=english
Relevant websites: Christian Ecology Link - www.christian-ecology.org.uk
www.greenpeace.org/international/en/campaigns/agriculture/