Rome, Italy, Nov 8, 2018 / 13:01 pm
Pope Francis spoke of the importance of increasing access to clean drinking water around the world Thursday, calling current statistics "a huge shame for the humanity."
"Water is essential for life. In many parts of the world, our brothers and sisters cannot have a dignified life because of the lack of access to clean water," Pope Francis told participants in an international conference in Rome Nov. 8.
Worldwide, 2.1 billion people do not have access to clean drinking water according to the World Health Organization's 2015 statistics. This means that at least 2 billion people use a drinking water source contaminated with faeces, the WHO explains.
"The dramatic statistics of thirst, especially the situation of those people who get sick and often die because of unhealthy water, is a huge shame for the humanity of the 21st century," Pope Francis said at the Pontifical Urban University.