Vatican City, Jul 24, 2012 / 10:55 am
The Vatican is urging people to respect creation when they take their summer vacation, which will allow them to more easily encounter God.
"We invite everyone to promote and use tourism in a respectful and responsible way in order to allow it to develop all of its potentialities, with the certainty that in contemplating the beauty of nature and peoples we can arrive at the encounter with God," said the July 24 letter marking the 2012 World Tourism Day.
The letter was written by Cardinal Antonio Maria Vegliò, President of the Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerant People. This year's World Tourism Day, which is organized by the World Tourism Organization, takes place on September 27 under the theme of "Tourism and Sustainable Energy: Powering Sustainable Development."
Cardinal Vegliò said the Vatican had a duty to speak out on the issue because the Church "has a responsibility towards creation and she must assert this responsibility in the public sphere."