Vatican City, Jan 31, 2015 / 12:00 pm
Pope Francis told farmers on Saturday that in a world marked by wastefulness and extreme climate change, they have the important vocation of caring for the earth and providing for all of humanity.
"Care for the earth, making alliance with it, in order that it may continue to be, as God wants, the source of life for the entire human family," the Pope said.
The Holy Father's remarks were made in the Clementine Hall of the Papal Palace during a Jan. 31 audience with members of Italy's National Federation of Farmers, who celebrate their 70th anniversary of their foundation this year.
The word cultivate, Pope Francis said in prepared remarks, "calls to mind the care which the farmer has for his land because it gives fruit, and this is shared."