Vatican City (Fides Service) - On the occasion of World Water Day, March 22, the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace issued a Note Water, An Essential Element For Life. Presenting the Note to the public, Archbishop Renato martino, President of the Council said: "On this World Water Day, I have the pleasure of presenting Water, An Essential Element For Life: a Note prepared by the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace as a contribution of the Holy See to the Third World Water Forum, now taking place in Kyoto, Japan. Even the title of the Note reflects the concern of the Holy See, as well as its ethical and religious understanding of the many complex water-related problems. Water is a good that must serve for the development of the whole person and of every person. After the first section, in which some of the fundamental moral principles related to the question of water are laid out, the Note deals with the key problems which governments and the international community have to face today at the social, economic, political and environmental level. In the final section, after having acknowledged the importance water holds within religious traditions, the Note considers in some detail the right to water because of the growing importance that the efforts towards its full recognition is assuming in the public debate. After the Third World Water Forum, and in the light of its conclusions, the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace will deal with the topic of water in a more developed and detailed document. The topic is closely related to the message of the Social Doctrine of the Church concerning human promotion and is also an extremely urgent problem in today's world." See Note in English and Italian at www.fides.org (Fides Service 24/3/2003 EM lines 22 Words: 305)