Α joint appeal to international leaders by Patriarch Bartholomew and Pope Francis
Pope and Orthodox Christian patriarch release joint appeal to protect environment
On Sept. 1, Pope Francis and Patriarch Bartholomew made a joint appeal to international leaders to use their power to address the effects of climate change. The plea of the two religious leaders was delivered on the World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation, Religion News Service detailed.
“Our propensity to interrupt the world’s delicate and balanced ecosystems, our insatiable desire to manipulate and control the planet’s limited resources, and our greed for limitless profit in markets — all these have alienated us from the original purpose of creation,” Pope Francis and Patriarch Bartholomew said in their appeal. “We no longer respect nature as a shared gift; instead, we regard it as a private possession.”
Aside from that, the Catholic and Orthodox leaders lamented the “morally decaying scenario” of planet Earth’s deterioration, especially in India, Bangladesh, and Nepal. Their statement said humans now choose to lord over God’s creation instead of acting as the Lord’s “co-operators” in sustaining it.
Meanwhile, the Council of European Bishops’ Conferences made a similar joint appeal together with the Conference of European Churches and the European Christian Environmental Network on Aug. 31. They invited Christians to pray for the environment during the “Time for Creation” which runs from Sept. 1 to Oct. 4, the Catholic News Service reported.
In addition, the European bishops and churches pointed to humankind’s selfishness and lack of care as among the main reasons for the disasters stemming from climate change. They urged Christians to acknowledge that the Earth is a gift from God and not just a source of profit, and that they should be responsible in caring for this creation.
