The book "Il senso della sete. L’acqua tra geopolitica, diritti, arte e spiritualità" by Fausta Speranza wins the Ambassadors to the Holy See Literary Award 2022.

The Jury of this third edition chaired by Ambassador Alexandra Valkenburg, Head of Delegation of the European Union to the Holy See, and Vice President the Ambassador of Italy to the Holy See Francesco Di Nitto, has selected the winner from 36 books published in 2021.

The book "The Sense of Thirst. Water between geopolitics, rights, art and spirituality" by Fausta Speranza, a journalist correspondent for Vatican media, won the third edition of the Ambassadors to the Holy See Literary Award 2022. The book, published by Infinito Edizioni, features a letter from Pope Francis.

At a historical moment marked by climate change and the many related disasters, increasing social inequalities, and conflicts, Fausta Speranza's book analyses the profound link between water and the right to health as one of the most pressing social and geopolitical issues globally. Recalling in the text Pope Francis' Encyclical Laudato Sì as an example of the centrality that the ecological theme holds in the Church's social doctrine, the author gives ample emphasis to the spiritual, cultural and artistic dimensions with which over the centuries humanity has looked at water as a source of life par excellence, so much so that it is now considered a fundamental right. It is an integral approach that goes beyond the solutions - however promising - offered by technology and that calls for a comprehensive rethinking of the relationship between human beings and the environment.

The “Premio Ambasciatori” Literary Award was established in 2019 from the initiative of a group of Ambassadors to the Holy See. Its aim is to pay homage to the language of Dante and the country that hosts their embassies, promoting authors who publish books in Italian, addressing the general public, on topics related to Christian culture and values, relations between politics and religion, the history of Christianity and interreligious dialogue.