AMERICA/CHILE - Apostolic Vicar of Aysen awarded: "Water is also a problem of sovereignty"

Aysen (Agenzia Fides) - The Apostolic Vicar of Aysén, His Exc. Mgr. Luis Infanti Della Mora, has received an important award for his contribution to the protection of the waters by the Chilean Committee for the International Hydrological Programme of UNESCO (CONAPHI Chile).
According to the note sent to Fides Agency from a local source, the motivation of the "Unesco Award for the International Hydrological Programme 2014", which was delivered to the Bishop on October 2 by Isabel Allende, a representative of the Senate, in Congress, originates from the pastoral Letter published by Mgr. Infanti in 2008 with the title "Give us our daily water". The Archbishop said: "We are in a historical moment in which we are given the opportunity of a profound cultural change, to revive the life of our planet", and invited to reflect on the value of water as a vital element for humanity. Yesterday, speaking to Radio Universidad de Chile, Mgr. Infanti said unfortunately, compared to the past, there have been no major changes, except the announcement to change the rules regarding water and recognize water as a fundamental human right.
"This was a glimmer of hope, but the light is still very hidden" said the Bishop and added: "I would not want this delay, already quite significant, to be the result of pressure, lobbying on behalf of those who have the power of water and are the owners of water in Chile, because who has the power of water has more power than those who hold the oil business". For Msg. Infanti the property of water is also a question of sovereignty, as he has repeated several times, citing the case of Aysén, where 96 percent of the water in the area is owned by the Italian company Enel. (CE) (Agenzia Fides 03/10/2014)