Giving thanks to God for “the fruit of the earth and of human work,”
Pope Benedict has called agriculture an “indispensable resource for the
future” that is not given enough importance today.
His words came during the Angelus prayer at St. Peter’s Square on
Nov. 14, Italy's traditional Thanksgiving Day.
It is celebrated on the
second Sunday of November to mark the end of the harvest.
"(A) strategic relaunching of agriculture seems decisive" In a global
economic development model due for a "deep revision," said the pontiff.
He pointed to symptoms of failure in the global model in the
continuing economic crisis, a persistent imbalance between wealth and
poverty, the "scandal" of hunger, the "ecological emergency" and
unemployment.
In an age when the agricultural sector has lost importance, he said,
"it seems to me (to be) the moment for a call to re-evaluate agriculture
not in the nostalgic sense, but as an indispensable resource for the
future."
Great economies seek advantageous alliances in business to the
detriment of poorer nations, Earth's natural resources are "drying up"
and long industrialized States promote lifestyles in favor of
unsustainable consumption that harms the environment and the poor, he
said.
What is needed, explained the Pope, is a "truly concerted" effort to
create "a new equilibrium between agriculture, industry and services, so
that development may be sustainable, no one is without bread and work,
and the air, water and other primary resources may be preserved as
universal goods."
The cultivation and protection of a "clear ethical consciousness" to
approach today's complex challenges is fundamental, he said. People need
to be educated to wiser and more responsible consumption behaviors and
the social dimension of rural life must be based on longstanding values
such as hospitality, solidarity and sharing the workload.
He welcomed the fact that college graduates are also returning to the fields, not only for personal or family needs, but because of "a concrete sensibility for the common good."
He welcomed the fact that college graduates are also returning to the fields, not only for personal or family needs, but because of "a concrete sensibility for the common good."
Pope Benedict XVI prayed that that his words might stimulate the
international community to rediscover the importance of agriculture.
SIC: CNA/INT'L