“I ask if in this piecemeal third world war that we are living through, are we not going toward a great world war for water?”, the pope said, departing from his prepared text. Specialists in the field have already predicted that some of the major armed conflicts in the future could be over the possession of or access to water, but this is the first time that Francis has spoken in these terms. 

Addressing 90 experts from many countries, Francis emphasized “the urgent need” to address this issue because “all people have a right to safe drinking water,” but this right is not guaranteed today. He cited United Nations statistics that assert “each day a thousand children die from water-related illnesses and millions of persons consume polluted water.” These “troubling” statistics cannot leave people “indifferent,” he said.