`One has to think seriously about the morality of using plastic bottled water,' writes Andrew Conradi
By Andrew Conradi
Special to The B.C. Catholic

C.S. Morrissey, in "Facing the crusade against bottled water" (The B.C. Catholic, Dec. 13), asks important questions. The fundamental ones which cry out for answers are why "an overt political activism about water is currently being sanctioned in our churches" and "why must people of faith and good will be recruited for this divisive agenda?"

The answers lie in the social doctrine of the Church and the fact that Pope Benedict XVI has repeatedly affirmed a "pressing need" for a renewed commitment of Catholics in political life. Activism over water started at least 10 years ago. It is therefore essential for Catholics to be aware of the Church's social doctrine as it relates to water.

The Church sees "Sister Water" as a gift of God to all and a key element of life deserving special consideration. In 2003 Archbishop Renato Martino (later a cardinal), president of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, said: "Catholic social thought has always stressed that the defence and preservation of certain common goods, such as the natural and human environments, cannot be safeguarded simply by market forces, since they touch on fundamental human needs which escape market logic. For water users living in poverty this is rapidly becoming an issue crucial for life and, in the broad sense of the concept, a right to life issue."

It's hardly surprising, then, to find Archbishop J. Michael Miller, CSB, in a letter dated Nov. 14, 2010, quoting Benedict XVI from Caritas in Veritate, (n.27): "It is therefore necessary to cultivate a public conscience that considers food and access to water as universal rights of all human beings, without distinction or discrimination."

Archbishop Martino continued: "Once public water systems are privatized by for-profit corporations, these crucial water sources become inaccessible to those unable to pay. Thus the unnecessary fad of bottled water ends up denying the poor one of the necessities of life."

These are key statements. This echoes the Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church: "By its very nature water cannot be treated as just another commodity among many, and it must be used rationally and in solidarity with others. The distribution of water is traditionally among the responsibilities that fall to public agencies, since water is considered a public good.

"The right to water, as all human rights, finds its basis in human dignity and not in any kind of merely quantitative assessment that considers water as a merely economic good. Without water, life is threatened. Therefore, the right to safe drinking water is a universal and inalienable right."

The Canadian Catholic Bishops, stated in 2003: "Such a basic human right as access to water cannot be left to the whims of market forces to deliver. In our own country, Canadians should insist on government action to ... guarantee that water utilities remain public, rather than private entities."

Most plastic bottles are not recycled. Failing to recycle them may result in sin, as an offence against the stewardship of creation. Not only are the convenient plastic water bottles unnecessary and irresponsible, but they waste the resources used in their manufacture.

As the Holy Father said in Caritas in Veritate: "...purchasing is always a moral - and not simply economic - act. Hence the consumer has a specific social responsibility [n.66]."

One therefore has to think seriously about the morality of using plastic bottled water. How do we live our faith? Do we do what is convenient because we can afford to, or do we do what is right for the common good and care of creation and for future generations?

Do we allow the Church's social doctrine to inform our conscience and guide our actions? Is it really so inconvenient to fill our own jugs or re-usable stainless steel bottles with safe municipal tap water already paid for through taxation?

In summary, Catholics must be informed of the fact that, except in cases of necessity and no safe alternative, the Church's doctrine is clearly against the use of water bottled commercially in plastic. Catholics have the right, if not the duty, to make this known and act accordingly.

Andrew Conradi is a member of the Canadian Catholic Organization for Development and Peace.