Shropshire Star

St Peter’s Square fountains being shut off due to drought

Vatican Radio said the decision is linked with Pope Francis’s teachings on the environment.

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A dry fountain is seen in St Peter's Square at the Vatican

The Vatican has said it is shutting off all its fountains, including those in St Peter’s Square, because of Italy’s drought.

Vatican Radio said the decision is linked with Pope Francis’s teachings on the environment.

The pope has decried wasteful practices and said clean drinking water is vital for both people and the environment.

Pope Francis has decried wasteful practices
Pope Francis has decried wasteful practices (Tim Rooke/PA)

Meteorologists say spring 2017 was Italy’s third driest in some 60 years. The drought has put Rome at risk of drastic water rationing, a measure being considered later this week by authorities.

Vatican Radio said all of Vatican City’s fountains will go dry, including those in its gardens, to help save water.

Francis laid out his fears for the future of the world’s environment in a 2015 encyclical, a formal teaching document.

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