Page 57 - Bulletin, Vol.82 No.3, October 2023

Whatever the strength of the prayer of the Pope or the people of Fiesch, the Glacier has
stopped growing. In fact, it would appear that their prayer was heard far beyond their
hopes: the Glacier began to retreat and shrink at a rate of 100 feet per year. In just over
three centuries, it has retreated by 3.5 km, a length of 23 kilometres. Almost half of this
retreat has occurred since 1950, raising the threat of a loss of water supply.

As they watched the Glacier shrink and retreat, the villagers became increasingly
concerned for their survival, because the Glacier is water, and water is life!

In fact, if the Glacier disappears, the lack of fresh water threatens life and this place
could be under threat. This is why, after several waves of very hot summers and melting
Glaciers, the residents have decided to turn to the Pope (Benedict XVI) once again to
ask his permission to change the old prayer and reverse it, in response to the effects of
climate change, and to prevent the Glacier from shrinking or even returning to its former
state.

The mayor of Fiesch, Herbert Volken, supported the residents' decision to seek help
from the Vatican and ask the Pope for an audience and a blessing, believing that
climate change is a burning global issue. Rev Pascal Venetz, a priest in Fiesch, has
made an official request to the Vatican for the Pope's support.

Pope Benedict XVI took their request very seriously and, in 2009, he intervened with a
Special Intention for the growth of the Glacier and issued a special blessing, modifying
and even altering the previous intention of Pope Innocent XI.

Following the blessing received from the Vatican, Rev Pascal Venetz is today leading
the prayer against climate change, global warming and the retreat of the Glacier,
explaining that the Glacier is ice, ice is water and water is life - these are the words of
today's prayer to save the Glacier, because the most important thing in life is water, and
if the Glacier is saved and well preserved, life will also be saved.

Will the Pope's blessings save the Glacier? - Let's hope so!

The villagers continue their prayers and the annual procession to reinforce the vow
continues to take place every 31 July, but today, on the way to a chapel in the
Ernerwald forest, the God is now calling for help to counter global warming and the
subsequent melting of the Glacier.

Surprisingly, the Glacier is actually melting, but as seems that the process is slowing
down, despite the high temperatures. And it was only last year that the Glacier melted
even more than expected.

It is difficult to predict what will happen this year, because the danger for the coming
year is not the heat, but the lack of snow, although in the Glacier region there was
plenty of snow last winter, unlike any other region in Switzerland. And even today, there
is still snow at an altitude of 2200-2300 metres. This suggests that, whatever the
summer temperatures, there were sufficient snow reserves to 'feed' the Glacier and help
it recover from the hot summer of the last year.

AAFI-AFICS BULLETIN, Vol. 82 No.2, 2023-10 55

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