ROME, Press Release 23/03/09

POPE BENEDICT XVI STANDS UP FOR THE POOR, AGAINST MULTINATIONALS

EQUIVITA Scientific Committe wishes to express its deep gratitude to Pope Benedict XVI for including in his Document “Instrumentum laboris”, preparatory for the  Special Assembly for Africa of the Synod of Bishops (to be held in october 2009) and presented in Yaoundé last march 19th, the following statement:
 
“Multinationals gradually keep invading the African Continent to take hold of its natural resources. They crowd out local companies, purchase thousands of hectares of land expropriating peoples of their homes, with the complicity of african governants” … Depriving them of land, water, energy and resources, they drive small farmers into poverty… “they damage the environment and destroy God’s Creation”.
We wish to especially thank the Pope for having met our appeal by denouncing the campaign promoted by these multinationals for the planting of GMOs “supposedly aimed at ensuring food security” He said, “but actually eliminating traditional seeds and thus making farmers dependent on biotech companies”.

Fabrizia Pratesi, coordinator of EQUIVITA Scientific Committee (former CSA) says:
“For over 15 yars we hoped that the Vatican would support our action against the improper use of biotechnologies and against the privatization – through patents - of humanity’s most precious good: genetic resources (or Creation, for believers); we long hoped that the lies underlying the spread of GMOs would be unmasked and that the damages they caused not only to human health and the environment, but also to poor peoples’ economies, would be denounced!

Now support of the Catholic Church has finally come.
This fills us with pride and satisfaction and strengthens our hopes for a Better World!

 
Comitato Scientifico EQUIVITA

Via P.A. Michli, 62 - 00197 - Rome - Italy

Tel. +39. 06. 3220720, + 39. 335. 8444949

E-mail: equivita@equivita.it
www.equivita.org