At the conclusion of the Angelus on Sunday, Pope Benedict XVI told Italian pilgrims that Christians should work to stop the continued destruction of the environment, especially as it particularly affects the poor.

Recalling that on September 1st the Church in Italy will celebrate the 1st Day for Saving Creation, the Pontiff said creation is “a great gift of God exposed to serious risks from choices and lifestyles that are capable of degrading it.”

“Environmental degradation makes the existence of the poor of the earth particularly unsustainable,” the Pope said.

“In dialogue with Christians of diverse confessions, it is necessary to be committed to caring for creation, without squandering recourses but rather sharing them in solidarity,” he maintained.